Local doctors, young adults discuss impacts of social media on body image

National Eating Disorder week spans from Feb. 24 to March 2, and Riverside County doctors want to make sure the community knows how dangerous and serious these conditions can be, especially with the widespread impacts of social media on body image. 

Dr. Evita Limon-Rocha, a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist with Kaiser Permanente Riverside County, said social media has not only changed people's perception of themselves, but also of food and health.

“What started off as something as admiring the nutrition and exercise habits of an individual, changed overtime into kind of change food pattern, starting to see food in a very negative light," she said. "Criticizing the body as something that has had a lot of flaws.”

Experts say eating disorders can affect everyone, even from kids as young as five years old to adults over the age of 80. All races are affected with people of color being half as likely to be diagnosed or received treatment. 

The Director of the Desert Care Networks Weight Management Center, Rachel Millard, also a nurse practitioner, said she's even seen the impact of social media on body image in her own children.

“I have a six year old and some of the stuff she says, I’m like, 'Where did you get that from?' she said. "Or about weight and an appearance, and it’s alarming.”

Eating disorders can affect all genders, but Millard said females are two times more likely to have one. 

Some studies conducted by the Desert Mountain Children’s Center found there was an increase in eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly because of the increase in screen time.

Belinda Figueroa ,a registered dietician for Desert Care Network, said eating disorders can particularly impact the LGBTQ+ community, which is prominent in Palm Springs, who may feel pressure to look a certain way.

"The LGBTQ community, a lot of it is the pressure from society to look a certain way, or especially with our trans group as well," Figueroa said. "They're trying to figure out where they fit in at times."

Jessica Collins, a student at the College of the Desert, said she's experienced the affects of social media on her body image, and said she's questioned her appearance.

Collins said certain posts make her ask: "Am I skinny enough? Am I pretty enough?"

In the United States, 28.8 million Americans will suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lives, according to the National Eating Disorder Association. 

The Academy for Eating Disorders reports 9% of Californians, which is nearly 3.5 million people, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. It also reports there are 10,200 deaths per year nationally as direct results of an eating disorder, which is one death every 52 minutes.

Experts stress that while eating disorders are dangerous, they are treatable. However, the Eating Disorders Coalition reports only one third of people with an eating disorder receive treatment. In adolescents with an eating disorder, fewer than 1 in 5 have received treatment.

Social media can affect anyone’s mental health for a variety of reasons, but it causes viewers, like young adults, to compare their lives to unrealistic standards. With diet promotion, nutritional content or content with “ideal body types,” young adults say it can be hard to be comfortable in your own body.

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from experts and young adults on the importance of recognizing how we view ourselves and compare on social media.