Eating disorders have been on the rise over the course of the pandemic. In the last two years, the number of adolescents admitted into hospitals for eating disorders has skyrocketed, with medical experts citing increased time on social media as a contributing factor. As internal research leaked by Meta whistleblower Francis Haugen claims, the tendency to share only the best moments [and] a pressure to look perfect could leave many with a desire to look or act different. That, coupled with a plethora of online content on dieting and what it means to have the perfect body, have further exacerbated users insecurities and misled them down dangerous paths. Taken to the extreme, many social media users have also been guided to dangerous pro-eating disorder communities, corners of the internet where users actively encourage and shame each other into unhealthy or even life-threatening weight loss.
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