Social media diet ditched

PEOPLE battling crippling eating disorders are being trained to detox from social media in a bid to avoid unrealistic imagery that can intensify their illness.

With issues of body dysmorphia an increasing problem, specialists are including “social media literacy” programs as part of the treatment for patients with anorexia and bulimia, and often encouraging them to quit Facebook and Instagram altogether.

Under the programs, patients are also taught how to recognise “photoshopped” pictures and unfollow accounts that are “triggering” their illness.

It comes after the Bulletin reported last week how children as young as nine were being admitted to hospital with eating disorders.

Centre for Integrative Health director Dr Kiera Buchanan, who specialises in the treatment of eating disorders, said one of the first things she does with patients is discuss who they are following on social media.

“What we teach is social media literacy, we talk about whether they are following people who are healthy for them and what the effects are when they look on social media,” Dr Buchanan said.

Body Positive Australia director Sarah Harry, who treats people suffering with a range of eating disorders, said she encouraged people to follow social media accounts that presented “a range of different body types”.

She warned accounts promoting dieting and weight comparison – such as those of popular fitness gurus including Ashy Bines or Kayla Istines – should be unfollowed.

“Even if you know an image is airbrushed, it can play with your brain and be easy to internalise,” Ms Harry said.

Butterfly Foundation chief executive Christine Morgan said it was including social media literacy in its schools programs to teach youngsters how to recognise how images were altered and manipulated.