Israeli college students who spend more time on social media, especially following food, fitness, and dieting content, are more likely to report symptoms of disordered eating and body dissatisfaction, according to a new peer-reviewed study published this month.
The research, conducted at Ashkelon Academic College and published in the international journal Nutrients, surveyed 580 students and found that 12% met the threshold for “pathological eating” on a standard screening tool for eating disorders. The study also showed a clear link between heavier social media use, lower body satisfaction, and more disordered eating symptoms, particularly among women.
“Social media platforms are powerful agents in shaping beauty standards, cultural values, and dietary norms,” the authors wrote, warning that the online environment “can foster disordered eating behaviors and negative body image among young people.”
Instagram, TikTok, and the ‘food body’ bubble
Participants in the study, led by Dr. Keren Dopelt and Dr. Nourit Houminer-Klepar of Ashkelon Academic College’s Department of Public Health, were asked about their social media habits, body satisfaction, and eating attitudes. The average age was 27.9, and roughly three-quarters of respondents were women.
The vast majority used multiple platforms: 72% had Instagram, 67% Facebook, 51% YouTube and 40% TikTok. Among active users, about a third reported spending more than three hours a day on social media, and two-thirds said they followed accounts focused on food, eating, and health.
Of those following such content, 87% said they had changed their diet because of what they saw online. Some changes were positive, such as drinking more water, eating more vegetables, and cutting back on sugar or calories. But 14% reported skipping or reducing meals, and about one in five cut carbohydrates or overall calories in ways that may signal restrictive patterns.
The study found that the type of content mattered. Students who followed food, eating, and health-related accounts had significantly higher disordered eating scores than those who did not follow such content at all.
One in eight at risk, women hit harder
To measure disordered eating, the researchers used the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), a widely used screening questionnaire. A score of 20 or above indicates a pattern of thoughts and behaviors that may reflect an eating disorder and warrants further evaluation. In the Ashkelon sample, 12% of students crossed that threshold.
Women reported significantly higher levels of disordered eating than men. Students without children also showed more symptoms than those who were parents, suggesting that life stage and responsibilities may play a moderating role.
The study did not find large differences by religion or body mass index (BMI) category, but it did find strong psychological patterns. Lower body satisfaction was associated with higher disordered eating scores, while more daily time on social media was linked to more symptoms as well.
A mediation analysis showed that body dissatisfaction partly explains how social media use translates into disordered eating: heavier use predicted lower body satisfaction, which in turn predicted more severe disordered eating symptoms. Social media also had a direct effect, even after accounting for body image.
Although the new data come from one college, they sit within a broader and worrying Israeli picture. Previous research cited by the authors shows that Israel has the highest rates of disordered eating among adolescent girls compared with 34 European countries: about half of Israeli teen girls are currently dieting, 75% have dieted in the past, and roughly 20–22% show symptoms suggesting a possible eating disorder.
Those findings mirror global trends in Western countries, but the Israeli numbers are particularly stark. The Ashkelon study extends the concern beyond high school and into college-age and older students, a group that can often be overlooked once they leave the school system.
Mixed impact: healthier habits, hidden harm
The researchers stress that social media is not all negative. Many students reported using it to discover recipes, cooking tips, workout programs, and healthier lifestyle ideas. Studies from other countries, cited in the paper, show that social networks can promote food literacy, from basic cooking to understanding whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
However, the same feeds that encourage salad and water can also normalize meal skipping, extreme restriction, and obsessive calorie counting. The Ashkelon team notes that the constant stream of idealized body images, filtered selfies, and weight-loss narratives can fuel depression, low self-esteem, and an unhealthy preoccupation with shape and weight, particularly among young women.
The authors are careful to point out that their study is cross-sectional. It captures correlations at one point in time and cannot prove that social media causes eating disorders. Other factors, such as underlying mental health problems or economic stress, were not directly measured and may also influence both online behavior and eating patterns.
Despite those limitations, the researchers say the results should serve as a wake-up call for Israeli campuses, the Health Ministry, and social media companies.
They recommend that colleges introduce mandatory media literacy and nutrition lectures for all students, along with on-campus support groups and counseling services for those struggling with body image and eating concerns. They also urge the Health Ministry to use its own official channels to push out evidence-based information and help the public distinguish between qualified experts and self-styled “gurus.”
The paper further calls for tighter regulation of influencer content in the nutrition and wellness space, requiring more transparency and accuracy in posts that promote diets, supplements, or weight-loss products. Collaborations with platforms, the authors argue, could amplify body-positive messages and push back against harmful trends.