Protecting Youth from the Hidden Harms of Social Media and Eating Disorders
By Dr. Allison K. Chase, Ph.D., AK Chase Consulting
A Growing Concern That Hits Close to Home
If you spend any time talking with teens—or the parents who love them—you’ve likely heard growing worry about social media’s impact on mental health. Platforms that once promised connection and community have become fertile ground for comparison, anxiety, and disordered eating.
As someone who has spent over 25 years working with young adults and families affected by eating disorders, I’ve seen firsthand how social media platforms can fuel the illness: from “What I eat in a day” videos to algorithm-driven feeds that glorify restriction and thinness. The consequences are not abstract—they are showing up in clinic waiting rooms, on college campuses, and around dinner tables every day.
That’s why recent discussions in Congress about the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) have caught the attention of mental health professionals, parents, and advocates alike.
What Is the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)?
The Kids Online Safety Act (S.1748) is a bipartisan bill reintroduced in Congress in 2025. Its goal is to make online platforms safer for minors by creating a “duty of care”—a legal responsibility for social media companies to prevent and mitigate harm to children and teens.
If passed, KOSA would require platforms to:
- Provide stronger privacy settings and safety tools for minors by default
- Limit exposure to harmful content such as eating disorder promotion, self-harm, and substance abuse
- Increase transparency about how algorithms work and what content they amplify
- Offer parents more tools and reporting options to help monitor their children’s online activity
The bill has its critics—some worry about free speech implications or over-censorship—but for those of us working in child and adolescent mental health, its potential benefits are hard to ignore. It represents an important step toward holding social media companies accountable for the content they serve to vulnerable users.
How Social Media Fuels Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are complex medical and psychological conditions, not simply a matter of willpower or self-image. But the online environment can intensify nearly every known risk factor.
Research continues to show that social media use—especially on image-focused platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat—can:
- Encourage social comparison and self-objectification
- Promote unrealistic body ideals and diet culture messaging
- Reinforce perfectionism and shame through constant visibility and feedback loops
- Amplify harmful algorithms that “reward” restrictive content with more of the same
In one large review of studies across 17 countries, researchers found that frequent exposure to appearance-based content increases body dissatisfaction and eating disorder behaviors. Another study of adolescents across 11 platforms found a direct link between social media use and the pressure to conform to appearance ideals.
The problem isn’t just the content—it’s the design. Platforms are built to keep users scrolling, liking, and posting. For a teen already struggling with body image or anxiety, that endless loop can quickly become toxic.
The Role of Advocacy and Leadership
Recently, Jenna Tregarthen, Ph.D., CEO of Recovery Record, spoke before Congress in support of KOSA, highlighting the urgent need for safeguards against online harms that worsen eating disorder risk. The Eating Disorders Coalition and other advocacy groups have also been pushing for stronger protections, recognizing that prevention must include the digital spaces where our kids spend so much of their time.
This is a pivotal moment—one where clinicians, caregivers, and policymakers can come together to make digital well-being a public health priority.
What Parents and Professionals Can Do Now
Regardless of whether KOSA passes tomorrow or next year, there are steps families and professionals can take right now:
- Talk early and often.
Ask kids what they see online, who they follow, and how certain content makes them feel. Avoid judgment—lead with curiosity. - Model mindful use.
Teens are watching how we engage with screens. Setting boundaries and demonstrating digital balance sends a powerful message. - Curate feeds intentionally.
Encourage following diverse, body-positive, or recovery-focused accounts—and unfollowing those that create pressure or shame. - Build media literacy.
Help young people recognize how filters, algorithms, and advertising shape what they see (and how they feel about themselves). - Partner with treatment professionals.
If a child or teen shows signs of an eating disorder—changes in mood, secrecy around food, or preoccupation with weight—seek early consultation. As clinicians, we can integrate digital health discussions into treatment, helping families create safer online environments.
A Shared Responsibility
Protecting kids online isn’t only a parental task—it’s a societal one. The technology that shapes young minds should be designed with their safety, not just their engagement, in mind. The Kids Online Safety Act is one path toward accountability, but meaningful change will require all of us: parents, educators, clinicians, and lawmakers, working together.
As we await the next steps for this important legislation, our daily choices—what we model, discuss, and prioritize—can already make a difference. More info at: passkosa.org.