Opinion: Battling TikTok and Instagram on eating disorders

TikTok and Instagram knowingly recommend videos to young users including 'How to eat 300 calories a day', 'How to look like "The Corpse Bride' and 'How to trick your parents into believing you ate'. — Health vector created by freepik - www.freepik.com

When a friend recently revealed that the source of her daughter's weight loss was TikTok, I was taken aback. Neither of my daughters has had weight issues or had friends who were compelled to be emaciated. However, my pal's 15-year-old suffered a dramatic weight loss due to the pressure to fit in with peers, and it's been a difficult problem for their family. The unfortunate message for young women to be impossibly thin has been commonplace for decades.

However, social media has amplified the eating disorder quotient. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram are a problem. When I asked my daughter Jane, 12, about the impact of TikTok and weight loss, she said she knows nothing about it since she only searches what holds her interest, and losing weight isn't something she ever thinks about. I'm thankful since Jane is 5'3" and 83 pounds and needs all of the nutrients in order to grow.