Social media, eating disorders & body image: improving online safety

Butterfly recently provided a submission to the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society, and was invited to give oral evidence to the Committee at a Public Hearing on 10 July. Our Head of Knowledge, Research and Policy, Dr Sarah Squire, provides a summary of Butterfly’s evidence to the Committee.

The impacts of body dissatisfaction are far-reaching. Body dissatisfaction is a major risk factor for the development of disordered eating and eating disorders, as well as conditions such as depression and anxiety.

A report released by Dove last month found that out of 33,000 girls and women globally (including in Australia):

• 3 in 10 girls say they would be willing to give up good grades to be beautiful, and
• 2 in 5 women would give up a year or more of their lives if they could achieve their ideal appearance or body size.

As our Paying the Price 2024 research had found, the incidence of eating disorders among children and young adults aged 10-19 has almost doubled in the last decade – an 86 per cent increase.

While it is not possible to attribute this change to one cause, there is now good evidence to show that social media is a driving force behind how young people feel about their bodies.

Included in Butterfly’s submission were the recommendations of the Social Media, Body Image and Eating Disorders Working Group. The Working Group is made up of eating disorder not-for-profits, people with lived experience and researchers, and was convened by Butterfly following a Roundtable that we co-hosted with Zoe Daniel MP in September last year.

Butterfly’s legislative and policy recommendations

In summary, we recommended the following regulatory and legislative changes to the Committee:

• That an overarching duty of care to protect the health and wellbeing of young people be introduced into the Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth)
• That the Online Safety ‘Basic Online Safety Expectations’ should be modified so that social media must take ‘reasonable steps’ to promptly remove pro-eating disorder content and advertisements from their platforms; and be amended to cover all systems and functions within their platforms (i.e., algorithms, content moderation, and ad approval and management) and
• That the Online Safety Act be modified so that members of the Australian public can report to the eSafety Commissioner when they see material that could negatively affect their body image.

For social media companies, we recommended the following regulatory changes be made:

• That social media platforms be transparent about their algorithms with regular publicly available algorithm risk audits from independent bodies – with consequences for non-compliance including appropriate fines or other punitive measures for effective deterrence
• That social media platforms be required to explicitly give users the opportunity to reset their generated algorithms easily and on demand, and
• That social media platforms share their data freely and accessibly with researchers.

We also recommended investment in programs which build the knowledge and skills of social media users, including parents and caregivers of children.

Balancing the risks and benefits of social media

On the topic of evidence, we urged the Committee to review the summary of existing research we have provided in our written submission on the various negative impacts of social media on body dissatisfaction, disordered eating and eating disorders.

But – echoing the evidence of the eSafety Commissioner – we also asked that Committee members consider the benefits as well as risks of social media, particularly for young people for whom it is a critical source of connection to peers and access to inclusive communities. As the eSafety Commissioner’s submission to the inquiry notes:

“Social media may also provide a range of opportunities that are protective of mental health, such as inclusion, social connection and belonging. These benefits are especially important for young people who experience difficulties with participation and social inclusion in other contexts. For example, eSafety’s research into the online experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, the digital lives of young people with disability, and our report on LGBTQI+ teens, highlights some of the ways online environments can help facilitate connection, support and cultural expression. ” (p 10, eSafety Commissioner, 2024)

We know from our own work that social media is a place where young people turn to access reputable health information and find support services.

For example, anyone in Australia who searches for content on eating disorders on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube is automatically directed to the Butterfly website and National Helpline. Online environments can also be sites of community resistance to harmful content and trends – and where organisations such as Butterfly can challenge dominant diet culture and weight stigma narratives.

A ban on social media for young people? No thanks

Butterfly is mindful of recent policy commentary by the Federal Government, the Opposition and by some in the media which is supportive of a ban on access to social media by young people up to either the age of 16 or even 18 years of age.

There is no evidence to support the effectiveness of this type of restriction, and it would be difficult to implement and enforce. It is also not supported by the people who would be affected – young people who have grown up as digital natives, and for whom the real and online worlds are intertwined in multiple ways.

When we surveyed almost 3,000 young people aged 12-18 last year through our Body Kind Youth Survey, 46 per cent said they preferred to receive information about body image via social media – this was the most preferred option, followed by other young people, or programs and talks in schools.

We therefore asked that the Committee to listen to and reflect on the views of young people, who are the experts in their own digital lives.

Where to from here – Butterfly’s key recommendation

With the complex links between social media, body image and mental health, in addition to the Social Media and Body Image Roundtable recommendations, we proposed that a National Body Image Strategy be funded which encompasses online and real world environments, with actions to address body dissatisfaction and the impact of appearance ideals.

Social media is not the only factor in the development of body dissatisfaction, and a whole system approach is needed which recognises and responds to all of the risk and protective factors that influence body image.

It has been 15 years since the last time the Federal Government funded the development of such a Strategy. Our survey of 12-18 year olds found that over half are dissatisfied with their bodies, with over 95 per cent reporting some level of concern about their body image. Without coordinated investment in prevention and early intervention, the high prevalence of Australians with body image issues and eating disorders will continue.

Learn more

• Read Butterfly’s full submission to the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society for the latest research on eating disorders and body image and the association with social media, Butterfly’s work with social media platforms, and our full recommendations for reform to improve online safety.