Social media platforms have experienced an enormous surge in popularity, especially among young adults, and diet product companies have enlisted celebrities to market their products to the masses. Using celebrities to promote weight loss products has resulted in an influx of "detox" products such as teas and shakes, as well as appetite suppressants. Many celebrities, most notably Kim Kardashian, have been under fire for promoting these products and contributing to the idealization of extremely thin body imagery. This has led to increased anxiety and poor body image in young people.
Professor Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of National Health Service England, has urged social media platforms to crack down on this type of advertising and warned that "advertising these products without a health warning is damaging; social media companies have a duty to stamp out the practice of individuals and companies using their platform to target young people with products known to risk ill health." A recent study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh has found that there is a strong and consistent association between social media use and eating concerns, and participants in the highest quartiles for social media volume and frequency had significantly greater odds of having eating concerns
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