The effects of social media on the body image of teenagers is something that has always fascinated me because I am an active and willing participant of the media frenzy of this generation on a regular basis. As a female growing up in the digital age, the topic of social media in relation to the rise of eating disorders comes up quite often. As an avid user of social media, I am surrounded by advertisements, tweets, posts, and images of the "ideal" person. I am constantly exposed to the opinions of my closest family and friends, my favorite celebrities, and the self-proclaimed "experts", telling me who I should be, how I should look, and how much of my true self I should let the world see. As teens we face a choice between two common themes frequently seen on social media: "love yourself" and "change 'this or that' to be your best self". Not only have I personally struggled with these kinds of contradictions, I have seen my friends and family face the same trials. Based off the conversations I have had with other teens my age; it is clear to see that everyone is dealing with some lack of confidence when it comes to comparing themselves to societal standards. Although I am not an expert on the scientific side of this research, I can offer tons of personal accounts and real life cases from people close to me, which makes me both qualified and motivated to write about this topic. 


In "Why Media Isn't to Blame for Eating Disorders", Margarita Tartakovsky admits that social media does contribute to body image issues in teens, however, she is adamant that it is not to blame for the increase in eating disorders seen in teenagers. Tartakovski claims that genetics and biology should be taken more into consideration when looking for links to eating disorders. 

This article does not exactly refute the idea that social media is a contributor to eating disorders, but it does argue that social media does not deserve as much blame as most people assume. The groups at stake in this article are social media outlets and their influence and teenagers who can access these cites. The author claims that media users should be more objective to the messages they see. 

Margarita Tartakovski is an associate editor for PsychCentral, a well known and award-winning online psychology database. Tartakovski specializes in self-help, body image, and the psychology of dieting. She is very educated on the topic of eating disorders and has great authority and credibility when writing on this subject. This article does not seem to have obvious biases.

Dr. Cortney S. Warren addresses the media's powerful influence on gender and societal roles, body image, and self expression in "The Mass Media, Body Image, and Self-Deception". Warren notes that in almost every aspect of our lives and culture, media has changed our perspectives and polarized our ideals of what the norm is. Warren begs her audience to become more critical of what they hear and see in the media and how they let it affect their life choices. 

In this article, Warren questions how compromised our self-expression is due to the restraints of media and its ideals. The main stakes in this argument are social media and the purposes it traditionally serves versus the negative effects it can inadvertently set off and the consumers it affects and the choices they make after exposure to these ideals. 

Courtney Warren has her doctorates degree in psychology and is frequently featured on Psychology Today, a reputable source for scientific theories in the psychological field, making her a very credible source. Her argument could contain some biases because of her gender, but many of her main claims are supported by real evidence. 

Phillipa Roxby, a health reporter for BBC, uses a real life testimony of a teenage girl to spark a conversation about the adverse affects that social media has on the body image and eating habits of teenagers in "Does Media Impact on Body Image?" Roxby also uses scientific research and surveys to construct an argument on how young people can more positively access social media. 

Roxby's main goal is to shed light on how social media can affect the psych of teenagers, and how media outlets can attempt to reduce their overbearing influence. If these two stakes can both adjust, social media outlets and its users will have a much better relationship in the future. 

As a reporter specializing in public health for BBC, Phillipa Roxby must be somewhat knowledgeable in the area of teen health, which often includes their psychological health, making her a reputable source. Her article contains a large amount of outside expertise and opinions that help support her claim. Like the author of my second source, Roxby could be considered somewhat biased because of her gender, but she also uses real life accounts and studies to back up any major claims she makes. 

This research topic can be argued most thoroughly from a scientific standpoint. The theory that social media affects the body image of teens can easily be supported or denounced by conducting experiments, taking surveys, and simply making observations. For example, in my first source "Why the Media Isn't to Blame for Eating Disorders", the author argues that while social media does contribute to eating disorders, it is not entirely to blame. These different sources and their evidence do make it more challenging to write a thorough argument, but most sources agree with my standpoint that social media does have great affects on the body image of teens and do contribute to eating disorders. In order to have a more well-rounded argument, I may have to narrow my research to find more rebuttals to my central claim. 

