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Social media’s impacts on the eating habits of teens – KIIITV.com

Feb 6th, 2020

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas Does social media have anything to do with kids and their drive to be fit?

Kids usually go through a picky eating stage around the toddler years, but when those finicky eating habits turn into an obsession with dieting and weight loss in later years, that's when parents should take note.

Developing healthy eating and fitness habits is a good thing, something teens should take an active part in. It's part of growing up; but these days with social media's ever-growing presence in the lives of young people, the line between reality and fantasy can become dangerously blurred.

"A lot of studies have shown that when it comes to social media, when it comes to photography like Instagram, Facebook, there is a vision of what the body should be," Dr. Ravee Patel said.

Unfortunately the digital age has a lot to do with how teens view eating, fitness, and their own bodies. Prominent figures on social media, "influencers," promote lifestyles and physiques that are not realistic and can even be dangerous.

"When it comes to the teen population, they believe that the figure should be a certain way when it shouldn't be, and they work their hardest and their bodies take a toll," Dr. Patel said.

For young people, emulating those seemingly perfect figures can lead to dangerous habits.

"What happens is these kids will automatically just stop eating," Patel said. "They'll start exercising, and have this preoccupation with calories and try to get as skinny as possible."

Sometimes this preoccupation with fitness and weight loss can turn into a real psychological disorder such as anorexia or bulimia.

"For me and you, we might look in the mirror and say, 'You know what, we look normal,' but for them, it's a constant state of stress," Patel said.

So what should parents be on the look out for?

"When it comes down to a rapid loss of body weight, nutrition, skipping meals, talking about calories, caloric restriction, not wanting to eat with the family, those are all red flags," Patel said.

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Social media's impacts on the eating habits of teens - KIIITV.com

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