
Spending excessive time going through pictures on Facebook posted by people looking their best, and probably edited to look even better, can really take a toll on one's confidence.  Researchers at Florida State University surveyed 960 female college students on their Facebook habits and the results showed a positive correlation between the body dissatisfaction and Facebook use.  A second part of the study was conducted where half the women were asked to spend 20 minutes on Facebook and the other half on Wikipedia.  Following that, a second set of questions were asked regarding their eating habits and Facebook use.  Results showed that those who searched Wikipedia were "more likely to report a decline in preoccupation with their weight after a short period of time, while those who used Facebook maintained their preoccupation" (Liebelson).  Through tremendous research I have discovered many other cases where similar studies have shown that Facebook use directly contributes to eating disorders in young women.  This is an issue because eating disorders are becoming more and more common in todays society and specifically in young women. It is not a coincidence that the rate of eating disorders has increased along with the rising technological advances and social media use.  "Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness", so something needs to be done to cut back on the high number of cases (ANAD).  Facebook use has been shown to increase the chances of eating disorders in college aged women; therefor, the Facebook corporation should manage user's time online allowing people to sign in for no more than one hour each day.  The importance of following through with this action will be reinforced by the factors of Facebook use that lead to eating disorders, defining an eating disorder, and the health issues related to eating disorders.

There are many different factors of Facebook use that lead to eating disorders, many of them being issues people would never think of.  Facebook represents a new public forum for what is called "fat talk".  "Fat talk refers to negative talk about body size and shape while emphasizing a societal ideal towards thinness" (Walker).  Fat talk has become a social norm and not only reflects body dissatisfaction but it intensifies the idea.  "Some researchers have found that fat talk is so embedded among women that it often reflects not how the speaker actually feels about her body but how she is expected to feel about it" (Hoffman).  Facebook is filled with pictures people post of themselves looking their absolute best causing viewers to compare themselves to the perfectly edited pictures on the computer screen and feel less about themselves.  The study conducted by Florida State Researchers showed that "girls who scan Facebook are more likely to report body dissatisfaction" (Liebelson).  This is the case because of the unrealistically perfect pictures that people post of themselves that are often times edited to appear flawless.  Facebook users have also admitted to gaining or losing confidence based on the amount of likes their pictures receive according to the article "Do You "Like My Photo?", and this should not be the case.  "Facebook use may contribute to disordered eating by maintaining risk for eating pathology.  As such, targeting Facebook use may be helpful in intervention and prevention programs" (Mabe).  

Facebook use is a good way to connect with people when it is used for a normal amount of time, it is when amount of time going through pictures and status updates of friends becomes excessive that it is an issue.  When Facebook use exceeds an hour in one day is when it is an issue and users have a high chance of gaining insecurities about their bodies and potentially develop eating disorders.  Even with all the factors of Facebook I have discussed that contribute to eating disorders, some people argue that beneficial things can come out of time spent on Facebook.  Many points were brought up in a Journal written by Tugberk Kaya to defend Facebook and argue all the pros that come with using the site.  Kaya wrote in the article that "Facebook can be used as a communication medium for consulting students after school hours" and argues that Facebook improves education through updates and communication about classwork" (Kaya).  Kaya also brings up the point that instant communication is very important in today's world and Facebook is a perfect means for this instant communication.  Although it is true that instant communication is important, it is more important to focus on the health of young women.  By allowing one hour online the communication will not be lost and we will still be able to help prevent eating disorders. 

Like every controversial issue there are two sides, and there are many positive aspects of Facebook.  However, all the pros of Facebook become insignificant when compared to preventing women from getting a life threatening disorder.  Although Kaya provides a strong argument and it is hard to disagree with something that is claimed to improve education, an alternative communication medium can be used for students to create groups and communicate without surfing through pictures and status updates.  For example, the app called Study Room is easy to use and allows students to search for their specific class and message every student at once to discuss any questions or concerns.  I have had first hand experience using the app Study Room for all my classes in college and it could not be easier to use.  By entering in the name of the class you are in and the teachers name you are instantly entered into a group of all the students taking that same course and can discuss any questions or assignments or plan to meet up in study groups.  There is no doubt that that is easier than finding out the first and last names of students in your class to search up on Facebook, adding them as a friend, and then messaging them.  Communication between students does not have to be lost and alternatives like Study Room are distraction-free unlike Facebook.  Facebook is a good way to connect with friends and family and that is why I believe one hour should be allowed each day but exceeding one hour is not necessary or beneficial.

Often times people do not understand that eating disorders are actually mental disorders and make statements like "why can she not just eat?" or "I love food, how could somebody not want to eat?"  There is no easy way to explain what exactly an eating disorder is; they include extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues and can lead to serious consequences for health, productivity, and relationships.  Eating disorders affect not only physical health but also emotional health by consuming one's thoughts constantly. This is a disorder not a lifestyle choice.  "In the United States, 20 million women suffer from eating disorders" throughout their life and "the number of cases has been only increasing since 1950" (Types & Symptoms of Eating Disorders).   Despite the constant rise of eating disorders, they continue to receive inadequate research funding that does not even begin to compare to the funding received by other disorders.  The rates of disorderly eating have had a linear increase with increased technology and use of social media (Types & Symptoms of Eating Disorders).  The more media like Facebook is used the more pressure young women have to look like the perfect girls posted all over the internet and this is only going to get worse the more access they have to social media.  Considering eating disorders are becoming one of the leading deaths in teen women it would only make sense that more funding and attention would be given to them, but this has not been the case over the years.  Preventing excessive Facebook use would be the biggest step to decreasing eating disorder rates according to what my research has shown.

 The Facebook company brings in billions of dollars every year so the amount of income lost by cutting back on member's use would be tremendous.  For this reason, many people, especially those who work for Facebook, would argue that this would be a very bad idea.  It is predicted that if Facebook were shut down for one day then they would lose almost $11.7 million and users would be very angry (Messieh).  One could only imagine how much money would be lost if it were shut down every day for twenty-three hours for each user.  Facebook would still be used but the popularity would decline enormously if users could no longer spend hours surfing through pictures to distract themselves from day to day responsibilities.  Is that necessarily a bad thing though to have users unhappy about wasting the day away on Facebook?  Not much good comes out of stalking through Facebook friend's pictures for hours and wasting time that could be put towards something beneficial.  There is nothing important or beneficial about Facebook after being online for an hour.  An hour allows users to check notifications and see what events they missed while offline and respond to any messages.  

An eating disorder can be a life or death issue that deserves more attention. A great way to give this issue the attention it deserves is to cut back on Facebook use because it has been made clear that excessive Facebook use contributes to many eating disorders.  One option to cut back on teens use would be to have parents monitor their children's screen time and push parents to limit time their child spends online.  However, there is no way to ensure that parents are doing their job so I have concluded that the only way to really make a difference is for the Facebook corporation to limit screen time.  Although Facebook would clearly lose a large amount of their success and income if action was taken to decrease Facebook use, when lives are on the line it is well worth it.  The success of one company should not come before the health of so many young people.  Changes made to Facebook to prevent excessive use would directly affect college-aged women by instilling confidence and pushing them to focus on themselves and not all the unnecessary stuff posted on Facebook.  The mental struggle that comes with eating disorders will never go away no matter how much health care is provided and how much better one may be temporarily; Facebooks loss of money is so irrelevant when considering the countless number of girls suffering from these symptoms.  The best way to go about fixing this issue is prevention because that is the only way to really save someone from an eating disorder.  Providing health care after someone already has an eating disorder will not do the same as preventing young women from the troubles of these terrible disorders in the first place.  Money should never be more important than the health of young women so the pros of the change's to Facebook very much so outweigh the cons. 

The health issues that come along with an eating disorder are endless and women with the symptoms are forced to walk around and be stared at for something they have very little control over.  Not only are the symptoms embarrassing, "if not treated, they could be fatal" (Orenstein).  Girls with eating disorder can face such severe muscle loss to the point that they are forced to stop any sports they are involved in because of poor performance.  I personally knew a girl in high school on my cheerleading team who was forced to stop competing with us because she had anorexia nervosa and it was not safe for her to tumble with how weak her muscles were.  Nobody should have to go through this and any prevention possible should be done.  Bone loss can also occur where they "become dry and brittle, and easily fracture", another reason for failure in athletic performance (Orenstein). The reason all of these symptoms occur with anorexia nervosa is because they are starving themselves from essential nutrients that the body needs to function.  Those with the eating disorder bulimia are binging and then purging which upsets the digestive system setting up the body for "serious heart and other major organ malfunctions, including heart disease" (Orenstein).  If something can be done to prevent eating disorders in young women there is no doubt that it should be done because nobody should want to put someone through the suffering of these health conditions that come along with these disorders.

The biggest argument those who disagree with this change bring up is that Facebook is a great way to communicate and enhance one's social skills.  The argument was made that, "Isolation is a common issue that children in today's society face.  Facebook allows your child to become friends with children who share the same interests" (The Pros and Cons of Facebook).  It is also argued that Facebook allows people to connect with friends and family who live far away by staying caught up with their lives through pictures and status updates.  Connecting in person is a much better option anyway because it shapes one's social skills much better than sitting in front of a computer screen talking to someone through text.  By allowing users one hour on Facebook this connection will not be lost it will just be cut back; therefor I see no reason Facebook use should not be limited. 

When eating disorders are leading to "slow heart rate and low blood pressure", "muscle loss", "kidney failure", "tooth decay", "diabetes", "gallbladder disease", "depression", and many more lifelong health issues; loss in connection becomes very insignificant (Types & Symptoms of Eating Disorders).  If Facebook made these changes the world would have so much more time to put towards connecting in person and getting to know people on a better level.  According to CNN, "on any given day, teens in the United States spend about nine hours using media for enjoyment" (Wallace).  That number is very pathetic and limiting time on Facebook to one hour would not only prevent eating disorders but it would also allow time to be spent in a much more productive way.  The loss of connection is an invalid reason for not cutting back on Facebook use because the alternative connecting in person is much more beneficial.  It is clear that eating disorders are very serious illnesses that require much more attention and preventative action. I have found that cutting back on user's time spent on Facebook will be a great start.

With the severity of the issue I have outlined, I think it is safe to say that action should be taken.  To take action towards the issue of eating disorders, my research has led me to a conclusion on a change that should be made to Facebook.  The Facebook corporation should be forced by the government to limit the time spent online by users.  There have been positive aspects of Facebook that I have came across like the fact that it connects family members who do not get to see each other often due to distance, and it allows students to connect with classmates about assignments.  The idea of eliminating Facebook as a whole would also obviously not be a very popular idea and many people would outrage.  Due to these aspects, Facebook should not be eliminated as a whole because it is clearly not all bad, but a time restriction should be placed.  When user's log on to Facebook the time online should be monitored by a clock through Facebook and it should automatically sign out if used for an hour in a twenty-four-hour span.  The following day the clock starts over and users are then allowed another hour of access.  During this hour users will have enough time to get anything essential and positive done on Facebook like connecting with distant friends and family members, getting updated on news and events occurring, or connecting with classmates about any school work.  The unnecessary behaviors will be cut out like stalking girls who post excessive pictures and comparing one's body to all the over-edited pictures appearing on the Facebook timeline.  This solution would essentially force users to not use Facebook excessively and therefor cut back on rates of eating disorders.

