Excessive smartphone use associated with symptoms of eating disorder and body dissatisfaction in young people

New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London has found that excessive smartphone use is closely associated with disordered eating, including uncontrolled eating and emotional overeating, as well as greater symptoms of food addiction in young people with no diagnosis of an eating disorder.

The research, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, established a significant and consistent association between Problematic Smartphone Use (PSU)—whereby an individual becomes behaviorally or psychologically reliant on their smartphone—and eating disorder symptom severity. Researchers argue this highlights the need for early intervention strategies specific to excessive phone use for young people displaying eating disorder symptoms.

While there has been research conducted into the negative impact that problematic internet usage, exposure to social media, and harmful online content can have on body image and body dysphoria in both clinical and non-clinical populations, none have specifically examined PSU.

Researchers identified 35 studies in which to include in this systematic review. The studies were from across the globe and provided researchers with a sample size of 52,584 participants with an average age of 17.

Their analysis of the data found that higher daily smartphone use was also related to greater food addiction symptoms, broader disordered eating behaviors like uncontrolled eating or emotional overeating, and body dissatisfaction in people with no diagnosis of an eating disorder. The association was particularly strong in those who use their phones for more than seven hours a day.

Ben Carter, Professor of Medical Statistics at King’s IoPPN and the study’s senior author said, “Smartphones have become ubiquitous in our everyday lives. It is apparent from our study that, even for people without a diagnosis of an eating disorder, the overuse of a smartphone is associated with poor body satisfaction and altered eating behaviors, and is a potential source of distress.”

Dr. Johanna Keeler, a Visiting Lecturer at King’s IoPPN and the study’s first author said, “Adolescence is a key stage of development as individuals evolve their sense of self by observing others. While smartphones might present an easy way for this to happen, being consistently exposed to idealized images can lead them to compare their own appearance with these ‘standards,’ leading to poor self-esteem and appearance dissatisfaction—both risk factors for the development of an eating disorder.”