Screen Time, Social Media Use Linked to Eating Disorder Symptoms

Higher odds of all eating disorder symptoms also seen in association with problematic social media, mobile phone use

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Greater total screen time, social media use, and problematic screen use are associated with eating disorder symptoms in early adolescence, according to a study published online Sept. 4 in Eating and Weight Disorders.

Jonathan Chu, from the University of California in San Francisco, and colleagues analyzed prospective cohort data for 10,246 participants aged 9 to 14 years from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study to examine the prospective associations between screen use and eating disorder symptoms. The longitudinal associations between baseline self-reported screen time and eating disorder symptoms in year 2 were examined. In addition, cross-sectional associations between problematic screen use in year 2 and eating disorder symptoms in year 2 were estimated.

The researchers found an association for each additional hour of total screen time and social media use with higher odds of fear of weight gain, self-worth tied to weight, compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain, binge eating, and distress with binge eating two years later (odds ratios, 1.05 to 1.55). Higher odds of all eating disorder symptoms were seen in association with both problematic social media and mobile phone use (odds ratios, 1.26 to 1.82).

“Clinicians are encouraged to regularly assess screen time in youth, given the accumulating support for its association with a range of poor mental health outcomes,” the authors write. “Moreover, clinicians should consider screening for disordered eating in youth who report high or problematic screen use, given the benefits of early identification for prognosis.”