Facebook addiction may cause eating disorders: Study

Frequent Facebook users might be sharing more than just party pictures, vacation videos and selfies — they also share a greater risk of eating disorders, according to a new study. Researchers led by Florida State University Psychology professor Pamela K Keel studied 960 college women and found that more time on Facebook was associated with higher levels of disordered eating. 

Women who placed greater importance on receiving comments and "likes" on their status updates and were more likely to untag photos of themselves and compare their own photos to friends' posted photos reported the highest levels of disordered eating. 

While other studies have linked social media and eating disorders, the study is the first to show that spending just 20 minutes on Facebook actually contributes to the risk of eating disorders by reinforcing women's concerns about weight and increases anxiety.