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National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (NEDAwareness Week) is currently running February 22-28. Social media platforms and their users are doing their part to support the initiative. The tools currently in place on social media will be just as important after this week, heading into the future.
The goal of NEDA Awareness Week is to heighten the importance of eating disorder education while providing useful resources to people with Alzheimer’s and the general public.
According to Britain’s leading eating disorder charity, Beat, 1.25 million people in the UK suffer from an eating disorder. While it is not uncommon for a person to develop an eating disorder later in life, the majority of people with eating disorders are teenagers. It is often reported that social networks contribute to this, as young people are constantly confronted with images of the “ideal” body.
With research showing that social media can have an effect on body image, eating habits, and self-esteem, it is important for social media platforms and their users, especially influencers, to know how they can shape their content to encourage positivity and provide support to those in need.
Popular social media platforms have worked to launch tails that will help users during NEDA Awareness Week and beyond:
Instagram features important resources
This week, in conjunction with NEDAwareness Week, Instagram announced that they have added a new set of resources to provide useful tools for users who post or consume content related to eating disorders and negative body image. Now, when a user searches for a hashtag related to these issues, Instagram will provide them with helpful prompts, such as details on eating disorder helplines.
Instagram confirmed that they have a policy against sharing content that shows graphic self-harm or the promotion of self-harm. This now includes content relating to eating disorders that is known to have potentially negative consequences.
TikTok Provides Useful Public Service Announcements
TikTok also announced this week the rollout of new in-app support services. The TikTok team said, “Starting this week, when a user searches for #edrecovery #proana or other eating disorder related phrases, we will provide access to the National Eating hotline. Disorders Association where they can find help, support, and information on treatment options. “
Acting as a creative and inclusive outlet for users, TikTok’s goal has always been to make sure the app is as secure as possible, especially given its impressionable youthful use. So, in addition to introducing alerts on hashtags that are directly related to eating disorders, they will include public service announcements on hashtag pages such as #WhatIEatInADay. TikTok and the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) worked together to create these PSAs to cover as many areas of concern as possible.
Pinterest partners with the National Eating Disorder Association
As Pinterest continues to attract new users, following its recent story carousel launch, the team behind the app announced this week that it will partner with NEDA to support body positivity.
NEDA and Pinterest have worked together to create a series of interactive pins offering information and support related to eating disorders and body image. Pinners are encouraged to share their own stories, have open discussions, and use the resources provided to ask for help or help a friend who may be in need.
In addition to these dedicated pins, Pinterest will donate advertising credits to encourage people to tune in to NEDA Awareness Week events.
Positive influencer resources
Instagram creator Mik Zazon is constantly sharing content promoting body positivity using the hashtag #normalizenormalbodies. She encourages her followers to love and appreciate their bodies, whether or not they meet society’s standard of beauty. In honor of NEDA Awareness Week, Mik shared a Reel on her page where she shared her story about how gaining weight and becoming less restrictive with food has really helped her live your life. She explained that asking for help was the best decision she’s ever made.
James Rose, also Instagram creator, actor and writer, uses his account to talk about eating disorder awareness and recovery from a trans, not binary perspective. Stereotypically, many people assume eating disorders are a female problem, so Jamie recommends focusing trans and non-binary people in recovery conversations, rather than including them after the fact.
Social media influencers who take the ‘glamor’ away from eating disorders and openly discuss that it’s okay to be ‘normal’ act as useful and accessible resources, especially for young people who consume large amounts of social media content. Especially during the pandemic, we’ve seen a greater demand for influencers that are realistic, rather than filtered and out of reach.
With the new resources provided by Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest, we can expect to see more online support for those with eating disorders, not only during NEDA Awareness Week, but in the future.
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