At a special session of the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women and Gender Equality, titled “The Impact of Social Media on Body Image, Eating Disorders, and Harmful Content Online,” ISOC-IL’s Academic Relations and Digital Outreach Specialist, Yarden Amir, presented research-based findings from the digital field. The discussion highlighted systemic gaps and enforcement failures, and underscored the need to begin developing technological, public, and regulatory responses to the impact of social media on eating disorders and body image–related harm among women and adolescent girls in Israel.
ISOC-IL’s Academic Relations and Digital Outreach Specialist, Yarden Amir, presents ISOC-IL findings to the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women and Gender Equality
The recent discussion shed light on a toxic global phenomenon (often called “pro-ana”–pro-anorexia –or “pro-mia”–pro-bulemia), in which online communities promote dangerous ideals and practices of extreme thinness, starvation, and self-harm—often framed as self-discipline or control. These communities, which initially took shape in the early 2000s, have found renewed presence on today’s social media platforms. In the current digital environment, harmful and toxic content circulates with increasing speed and reach, amplified by the extensive—and insufficiently constrained—power of platform algorithms.The session reflected the voices of generations born into a world where the internet is a public space integral to daily life, connection, and self-expression, but also carries real implications for safety and well-being.
Although content that encourages eating disorders explicitly violates the community standards of multiple platforms, and despite platforms’ claims that such material is actively monitored and removed, field research conducted by ISOC-IL and presented at the meeting reveals a troubling reality: social media platform algorithms often appear to amplify and reinforce eating-disorder-related behaviors among women and girls. Pro-ana content creators and sharers tend to take advantage of the platforms’ affordances and unique features (e.g. reactions, shares, comments) to magnify the detrimental effects of the content. The research further identified recurring patterns in online discourse, imagery, and linguistic manipulation (“algospeak”), alongside significant blind spots in platform monitoring and enforcement systems. Taken together, these findings underscore both the substantial potential for more effective platform oversight and the critical importance of evidence-based analysis, transparency, and cross-sector collaboration among civil society, policymakers, and technology companies to drive meaningful change.
Within this context, ISOC-IL’s Internet Safety Hotline has emerged as a recognized point of contact for addressing harmful online content. In cases where participants in the Committee discussion raised concerns about insufficient enforcement of policies related to body image–related harm, they were referred by social media platforms to ISOC-IL’s Internet Safety Hotline for support and expedition of the enforcement process. This practice reflects the Hotline’s established standing as a trusted civil society mechanism for handling online safety complaints, and its role in bridging users, platforms, and broader accountability processes.
The discussion points to the need for a broader process of reflection and corrective action—one that addresses not only the symptoms of the phenomenon, but also the underlying digital mechanisms that enable its spread. ISOC-IL continues to work toward a safer, more trustworthy, and more responsible internet, for those who have been harmed, those currently at risk, and the wider public.