616: Social Media Epidemic, States Act to Address Youth Eating Disorders

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday, March 7, 2024. I'm Robert Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

MATTHEW BIEL: 

Being online and particularly being on social media apps is now sort of a fundamental part of childhood.

JOHNSON: 

But according to Georgetown University Medical Center Professor, Dr. Matthew Biel, social media is not necessarily a good part of childhood.

BIEL: 

It's actually causing some of the difficulties that we're seeing in young people causing some of the emotional distress and behavioral problems that we're seeing in young people.

JOHNSON: 

For some kids, Biel says the impact is even worse.

BIEL: 

Children adolescents who have pre-existing mental health problems, who may have had struggles with depression or anxiety, who have autism spectrum disorders or ADHD, may be more vulnerable to the negative effects of social media than children who don't have those coexisting problems.

JOHNSON: 

Biel says the problem is an epidemic. Tomorrow, he tells us what needs to be done about it.

BIEL: 

This issue needs our attention. It's a critical health issue for children now. And we don't have sufficient guidance yet from health officials.

JOHNSON: 

One of the concerns linked to social media use is eating disorders among young people. This is ASTHO's Lexa Giragosian.

LEXA GIRAGOSIAN: 

There's some interesting data from the CDC that the rate of eating disorder diagnosis among adolescents rose over 100% Over the past four years.

JOHNSON: 

The worry again is that kids, especially girls, are taking cues from social media, and that puts their health at risk.

GIRAGOSIAN: 

Reports also indicate that adolescent girls use social media more than adolescent boys or people of other genders, and are therefore disproportionately affected by eating disorders, which resulted in increases in pediatric emergency visits for eating disorders, diagnosis and treatment for adolescent girls.

JOHNSON: 

The problem is irresponsible content that leads to unhealthy responses.

GIRAGOSIAN: 

With social media usage, adolescents are more exposed to weight-stigmatizing content, as well as increases in body satisfaction as a result of this, negatively influencing body image, promoting body comparison, and disordered eating.

JOHNSON: 

Giragosian says many ASTHO members are taking notice.

GIRAGOSIAN: 

Colorado has some really interesting bills about limiting the use of BMI as an indicator of treatment as well as restricting the sale of diet pills to minors. And Texas has really cool one about social media usage specifically, and trying to prevent harmful content such as promoting disordered eating or any weight-stigmatizing content from reaching minors.

JOHNSON: 

Giragosian writes about state policy actions and other steps agencies can take in a new ASTHO blog article now online, there's a link in the show notes.

Also today, learn the basics of disease forecasting in a series of for one hour events planned over the next several weeks. The first online session will happen next week on Thursday, March 14. ASTHO past president Dr. Anne Zink of Alaska headlines the series, you can get more information and sign up using the link in the show notes.

Finally, this morning, get more news like this every week. When you sign up for ASTHO's Public Health Weekly email newsletter. You can join the list by clicking the link in the show notes.

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That'll do it for today. We're back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Robert Johnson. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.