London - Young women who spend a lot of time on Facebook are more likely to have a negative image of their body and thus be more susceptible to eating disorders, a study warns.
Researchers in Britain and the US looked at how often college-aged women compare their appearance with their friends’ bodies.
They found that more time on Facebook could lead to more negative feelings and more comparisons.
They were able to predict how often women felt negatively about their bodies. They also found that for women who want to lose weight, more time on Facebook led to more attention to physical appearance.
One of the team, Dr Petya Eckler of the University of Strathclyde, said: “While time spent on Facebook had no relation to eating disorders, it did predict worse body image. Poor body image can gradually lead to developing an unhealthy relationship with food.
“The attention to physical attributes may be even more dangerous on social media than on traditional media because participants in social media are people we know. These comparisons are much more relevant and hit closer to home. Yet they may be just as unrealistic as the images we see on traditional media.” - Daily Mail