Frequent Facebook Use Could Trigger Eating Disorders among Women

A recent study shows that frequent Facebook use among young women may increase the risk of eating disorders.

According to researchers from Florida State University, they found that though Facebook can be a great way to keep in touch with friends, it can also create unnecessary criticism, distraction and confrontation of other women that may lead to health risks.

For the study, researchers questioned 960 college women regarding how much value they placed on receiving positive feedback, including comments and/or likes, via the social media site, while also comparing themselves to others' profiles.

Researchers said they believe that this is the first evidence that spending just 20 minutes a day on  Facebook can contribute to the risk of an eating disorder by reinforcing women's concerns about their bodies, as well as increasing social anxiety.

"Now it's not the case that the only place you're seeing thin and idealized images of women in bathing suits is on magazine covers," said lead study author Pamela K. Keel, via a press release. "Now your friends are posting carefully curated photos of themselves on their Facebook page that you're being exposed to constantly. It represents a very unique merging of two things that we already knew could increase risk for eating disorders."

The findings are particularly worrisome as more than 95 percent of women who participated in the study use Facebook and admitted to checking the site multiple times a day with most spending an hour per day on it.

Many discussions regarding body commentary also reinforced the idea that too much time spent on the social site can increase feelings of insecurity and even depression.

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be found via the International Journal of Eating Disorders.