It only takes a fake Instagram account and six photos of an emaciated girl to gain 900 followers and attract the attention of dubious men. This is the conclusion reached by the organization Reset, which examined “Thinstagram” for a study. This is the comparatively small but dangerous part of Instagram where anorexia is not an illness, but an award.
The Reset initiative aims to counterbalance the big tech companies several large foundations and organizations financed. Your study was available to the SZ before publication. The conclusion of the researchers: Instagram fails to adequately protect particularly vulnerable teenagers and to remove content that trivializes or glorifies eating disorders.
According to the researchers, the platform’s recommendation logic exacerbates the problem. Anyone who follows a handful of accounts from the “Thinfluencer” scene will automatically receive posts and accounts suggested that glorify weight loss and share a series of pictures of obviously anorectic bodies. The SZ was able to verify this mechanism with its own test profiles.
Some users also use Instagram to document how they overcame their eating disorder and help each other deal with the disease.
(Photo: Monika Skolimowska / picture alliance / dpa)
Eating disorders mainly affect girls during puberty, but older women, boys and men also develop anorexia or bulimia. The corona pandemic has exacerbated the problem: According to an analysis by the DAK the number of adolescents who are severely underweight has risen by more than a third in the past year, and ten percent more eating disorders are treated as inpatients in hospitals. But therapy doesn’t always help either: between ten and 15 percent of patients die, making anorexia by far the most dangerous psychiatric illness.
The fake profile now has around 900 followers
“We take the issues of mental health and eating disorders very seriously,” says Alexander Kleist, who, as Head of Public Policy Instagrams, represents political interests in German-speaking countries. That’s why you have to work with experts the community guidelines developed. There the company describes which rules apply to users. According to Kleist, Instagram tries on the one hand to remove harmful content and on the other hand to allow people to talk about their personal experiences with eating disorders.
For the experimental part of the study, the Reset researchers created an anonymous profile on which no faces can be seen, but skinny legs, bony hips and photos on which you can count each rib individually. In the first week they shared a handful of pictures and followed a few dozen accounts promoting extremely thin or clearly anorectic ideals of beauty.
Although the researchers stopped all activity after six days, the fake account increased steadily in reach and currently has around 900 followers. Reset concludes that Instagram has probably actively suggested the account and its posts to other users, there is no other explanation for the growth. Instagram says technology is being used to avoid recommending such content in places like the Explore page. There the platform compiles new accounts and posts based on the presumed interests and preferences of the respective user.
Some men use Instagram to harass anorexic girls
On the fourth day of the experiment, the first self-proclaimed “Ana-Coach” reported by direct message. These accounts are mostly made up of men who pretend to help the girls lose weight. They ask for photos, supposedly to monitor weight loss progress. They often harass the affected teenagers or threaten sexual violence. Some use Instagram to get in touch with young people and then try to continue communication via messengers such as Telegram – there the risk of being discovered is even lower.
Many teenagers compare themselves to other teenagers on Instagram and follow influencers who embody unrealistic to pathological ideals of beauty. Psychologists therefore fear that social media can weaken some of the users’ self-esteem. But the same could be said about many TV shows, films and series. Instagram and other platforms are part of a problem that has primarily social causes.
In the course of the experiment, the Reset research team also identified two central failings on Instagram themselves. On the one hand, the platform does not reliably manage to block photos, videos and accounts that clearly violate Instagram’s guidelines. “We remove content that glorifies or suggests eating disorders,” writes the group in the help area.
Certain hashtags and search terms are blocked, but there are dozens of keywords that can be used to find problematic content. In some cases, Instagram displays a notice beforehand and lists offers of help for people who are in psychological distress. In Germany these are the number against grief and the telephone counseling. Sometimes there are also no warnings or precautionary measures. Dealing with such topics is challenging, after all, teenagers who are fighting their way out of anorexia also exchange ideas via Instagram. They give each other strength and show that anorexia is not a one-way street. Deleting blanket photos of emaciated bodies is therefore not a solution.
Instagram would have to enforce its guidelines more consistently
Some of the posts do not move in a gray area, but openly call for hunger and use relevant hashtags and code words. 14-year-old girls document their weight loss. With every pound less and every rib more, the applause grows louder and the admiration in the comments increases. At least in these clear-cut cases, Instagram would have to enforce its own guidelines more consistently.
On the other hand, the researchers criticize that Instagram not only overlooks potentially dangerous content, but also redistributes it. The platform’s algorithms independently suggest photos and videos of young women who are emaciated to the bone. Even with a control profile whose age was given as 14 years for test purposes, the so-called Explore area is teeming with posts that could point the way to anorexia.
Internal research surfaced a few months ago allegedly showing that Instagram can harm teenagers’ mental health. The study situation is unclear, however, which is why scientists are calling for more access to data in order to enable independent research. On Wednesday evening, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri will answer questions from the senators in front of the US Congress.
Probably not entirely by chance, Instagram announced on Tuesday morning a series of measures for the coming year. New functions are intended to give parents more control over their children’s social media consumption and protect young users. Among other things, the standard settings for the accounts of teenagers are to be revised so that they come into contact with potentially problematic content less often.
For Reset, that’s a start at best. “Facebook and Instagram have too often stolen their responsibility with flowery promises,” says Felix Kartte, who heads Reset in Germany. “What we need is laws that not only ensure that child safety measures are in place, but that they actually work.”