[Impact of social network use on anorexia and bulimia in female adolescents: a systematic review].

Abstract

Systematic review of published studies on the impact of social networks (SN) use on anorexia and bulimia in female adolescents. We selected articles published over the past 10 years, written in English, Spanish or Portu-guese found in The Cochrane Library Plus, PubMed, WOS, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases and with enough methodological quality. Nine studies were included in this review with a sample of 2,069 adolescents; 75.3% were female, mean age was 18 years, and mostly used Facebook and Instagram. Despite some positive aspects, SNs promote beauty standards in terms of thinness, allow comparisons between peers increasing concerns about weight, and create spaces that encourage anorexia and bulimia. Therefore, SN use plays a role in the development of eating disorders. The promotion of extreme thinness in girls makes this population more vulnerable.