Eating disorders under pressure: Hotline warns of dangerous body ideals!

Eating disorders under pressure: Hotline warns of dangerous body ideals!

On May 26, 2025, the hotline for eating disorders in Vienna Health Promotion (WIG) announces a special campaign that will take place on June 2, the World Day of Essstilung. This initiative aims to draw attention to the problem of eating disorders. Dennis Beck, the managing director of the WIG, emphasizes the urgency to openly discuss this topic and encourages those affected to contact us.

eating disorders are a serious health problem that is due to a variety of factors, with unrealistic ideals of beauty playing a central role. Ursula Knell, the specialist director of the hotline, indicates the health consequences of eating disorders and emphasizes the need to recognize it early. The pressure to correspond to a certain ideal of beauty is reinforced by social media that can promote dissatisfaction with your own body. In particular, one -sided diets and trends such as “Heroin Chic” tighten this problem. [wien.gv.at]

young people and eating disorders

The target group of eating disorders is alarming young: the youngest affected people are between 9 and 11 years old. Children and adolescents are particularly at risk with low self -esteem who often try to regulate their body size and weight through extreme measures. In this context, concerned parents are often looking for advice when they observe unhealthy eating behavior in their children. [Deutschlandfunk]

The effects of social media on the eating behavior of young people are significant. Studies show that 74% of girls and young women post content online, whereby more than a third link this with eating disorders. [Contours] In addition, 77% of the respondents indicate that filters and image processing influence their real behavior. The competition for the ideals of beauty is perceived by many as time-consuming, since girls often take 30-50 photos for the perfect picture.

Influence of influencers

influencers play a crucial role in the spread of beauty ideals. Sigrid Borse, the head of the Frankfurt Center for Essic Disorders, refers to the optimization pressure that prevails on social media. An example of this is the 13-year-old Anna, who changes her eating behavior after a discriminatory comment on her Instagram picture. Critics like Melodie Michelberger warn that 90% of the popular influencers are slim, light -skinned and young, which sets unrealistic standards. In addition, alternative body images often show negative reactions of followers.

Despite these challenges, there are also positive movements within social media, such as the "Body Positivity Community", which works for a healthy body image. Experts recommend an intensive examination of social media to strengthen the media literacy of young people and to sensitize them to the risks of eating disorders. [Deutschlandfunk] Support and can be reached from Monday to Thursday between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. on 0800 - 20 11 20.

The complexity of eating disorders shows that they arise from the interaction of many factors. Social media not only pose a risk, but can also serve as a platform for recovery. Programs and initiatives therefore have to deal with the online usage behavior of young people in order to be more critical interlocutors and to better support young people in dealing with their body pictures and eating behavior.