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Psychiatrists have called for urgent action to protect vulnerable young people from the harmful influence of pro-eating disorder websites. So-called 'pro-ana' (pro-anorexia) and 'pro-mia' (pro-bulimia) websites have existed since the development of the internet - but their number has soared in recent years with the growth of social networking.
Now the Royal College of Psychiatrists says the Government must do more to address the dangers of pro-eating disorder websites and keep young people safe online. In September 2008, the Government established the UK Council for Child Internet Safety to deliver recommendations made by Professor Tanya Byron in her report Safer Children in a Digital World. But members of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Eating Disorders Section claim the Council's plans for action do not go far enough because they fail to specifically address proeating disorder websites. In a new position paper published today, the Royal College of Psychiatrists calls on the Council to:
* Expand its definition of harmful web content to include pro-eating disorder websites.
* Extend its plans to moderate internet sites that promote harmful behaviour to include proeating disorder websites.
* Specifically address pro-eating disorder websites in its plans to raise awareness of esafety among parents and teachers.
Professor Schmidt, chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Eating Disorders Section, said: 'Pro-ana and pro-mia websites advocate anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa as a lifestyle choice, rather than as serious mental disorders. Research shows that, even for healthy young women, viewing such websites induces low mood, low self-esteem and increased body dissatisfaction.
The broader societal context in which pro-ana and pro-mia sites thrive is one where young women are constantly bombarded with toxic images of supposed female perfection...