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Social Work Today
E-Newsletter    February 2023
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Editor's E-Note

Teenagers have always been deeply influenced by cultural messages, but today they face a constant pressure from social media to conform to idealized images and to measure themselves against others’ curated content. In this month’s E-Newsletter, Marisa Markowitz discusses the ways in which social media influences eating disorders.

We welcome your comments at SWTeditor@gvpub.com. Visit our website at www.SocialWorkToday.com, like our Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter.

— Kate Jackson, editor
In This E-Newsletter
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How Social Media Influences Eating Disorders

By Marisa Markowitz

It’s well known that most teenagers in the United States have smartphones. On these devices, they can connect through social media across an endless array of platforms meant to foster connection; they gain information in real time about what’s happening in the lives of their friends, families, and trending celebrities. The purpose of social media was to bring people together remotely. Unfortunately, there are problematic aspects that may not have been foreseen at the outset.

Through photos, which are often heavily edited and carefully selected to portray only the narrowest view into someone’s life, social media can distort reality. Filters, social media influencers, and people who simply want to flaunt their extravagant lifestyles have a platform to project countless images that do not reflect reality for most people, often not even representing the reality of the posters themselves. Instagram offers weight loss ads as well as information about cosmetic procedures, and a variety of influencers parade their exercise routines regularly. This may be problematic for vulnerable youth, as much of what they absorb heavily influences what they perceive to be society’s ideal: to look a certain way, to act a certain way, and to lead a lifestyle that focuses on appearances and “healthy” living.

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