How Family & Social Media Impact Adolescents’ Health
By Ingrid Xiloj Camey
Introduction
Did you know that family dynamics and social media shape a teen’s nutrition, not just physically but emotionally? In a European research study, known as CO-Create, 16- to 18-year-old teens reported that social media content negatively affected them by lowering their self-esteem, particularly in body image, and contributed to compulsive dietary behaviors. Similarly, Victoria Montesinos’ 2023 EDHLA study revealed that adolescents adapted to family dietary preferences and perceived food as taught by their family. As a result, teens may experience emotional eating behavior due to family dynamics and social media’s influence on their relationship with food, which can be either a positive or negative enhancement.
Social Media Effect
Now, social media apps like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram are regularly used by children as young as 10 years old. These platforms not only offer entertainment and connection but also a wide range of marketing products and ideas, which can significantly grow companies’ income and ultimately create an obsession for adolescents with physical appearance. The content of videos features a range from “healthy diets” trends, excessive physical activity, to the so-called “ideal” body types. At the same time, other video content encourages adolescents’ cravings for high-sugar or salty foods, leading to unhealthy habits like binge eating. Binge eating, defined as eating in the absence of hunger, increases the chances of a person becoming obese. Obesity is often linked to chronic stress and emotional eating in adolescents. Consequently, scientists found that 57% of children are likely to become obese by the age of 35. The increase in obesity in adolescents begins to contribute to an uncontrolled variety of negative emotions, such as body dissatisfaction. A systematic review by Blanchard found a negative relationship between body dissatisfaction and social media use from a total of 5,469 adolescents. In these findings, females were tremendously influenced by the temptation of weight loss strategies. Additionally, another review paper presented that only 35.9% of boys experience this disorder compared to 50.5% of girls, showcasing a common female body dissatisfaction. Moreover, through the usage of social media, more girls are exposed to various content ranging from beauty advice, clothing guidance, to appearance-based comparisons with celebrities or peers, consequently distorting self-image, undermining self-worth, and contributing to harmful developmental outcomes for young females. As many adolescents seem to internalize what’s seen on social media, family can also influence how teens interpret these messages.
Family Meals
Family dynamics can either ease or exacerbate emotional challenges experienced by adolescents. To begin with, family meals incorporate food preferences that adolescents adapted to from a young age. For example, a child raised by overweight parents who constantly consume high sugar or fast foods most likely develops similar habits and becomes overweight. These foods can mistakenly be perceived as healthy for the child. Over time, families can influence adolescents’ physical health and emotional connection to food. The eating patterns developed at home can be associated with either negative or positive emotions. Such that family meals increase hedonic aspects by enhancing the pleasure and enjoyment of food when sharing a connection among family members. The importance of regulating family meals extends to a dynamic topic of social interactions, like freely expressing oneself in conversations and relieving oneself from daily stressors. Overall, the interactions made during family meals create stronger, healthier relationships, which establish an emotionally supportive environment for adolescents to feel welcomed into a community that encourages healthier coping strategies and builds long-lasting connections.
Emotional Behavior
Essentially, understanding environmental factors, social media influences, and family dynamics becomes crucial, as they play a significant role in adolescents’ emotional behaviors. In some cases, adolescents develop emotional eating behaviors, which occur when food becomes a soothing way to manage stress, fear, boredom, and other difficult experiences. This results in eating disorders like binge eating, anorexia, bulimia, and ultimately food avoidance for emotional distress. According to data collected from Project EAT, 2516 adolescents presented unhealthy weight-controlled behaviors, including skipping meals, replacing food with substance use, and fasting. Furthermore, a more recent study showed that deeper concerns revolved around psychological problems, such as depression, anxiety, and emotional disconnections, which are often associated with emotional eating behaviors. Continuing with the concept of disrupted eating, either experiencing a rejection of food or eating excessively after long starvation, demonstrates an emotional instability that adolescents struggle to break.
Conclusion
Although there are programs available to help adolescents cope with eating habits and emotional behavior, many fail to prevent such negative outcomes. That is because many prevention programs focus on weight loss through unnecessary diets and an increase in physical activity. However, programs like Stanford Lifestyle Medicine informed adolescents about the importance of self-care through recommending healthy habits like sleep management, nutrition plans, and balanced physical activity schedules. Other programs, like the MyPlate program, the San Francisco Teen Healthy Eating and Active Living program, can all motivate young teens to start their journey on a healthy nutritional relationship and emotional behavior control. Healthy behavior changes start with small, effective actions that help spread awareness about healthier practices throughout one’s community.
