Social media is a huge driver of body image issues and young people are particularly at risk. Packed with unrealistic images and ideals, social platforms can be an incubator for mental illness – including eating disorders. But the problem is worse than most people think according to Swinburne University researcher in applied social technology Dr Suku Sukunesan.

Dr Sukunesan's research has been making waves in the Australian media lately as more people begin to pay attention to his disturbing findings of the destructive impact social media can have. He told host Sam Ikin that young people vulnerable to eating disorders were particularly at risk on social platforms where a dark, hidden network operates right beneath our noses.

For some helpful tips on how to help young people use social media safely, Butterfly has a helpful guide for parents Parents https://butterfly.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Instagram-Parents-Guide.pdf

Or the Body Kind Families media resilience fact sheet - https://butterfly.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/BK_Families_Resilience-to-Media-Tips_FINAL.pdf