Porn and violence aren’t the only Internet menaces your kids may encounter. Web sites that actively promote eating disorders attract teens with words of “thinspiration” and fawning photographs of super-skinny celebrities. About 40 percent of adolescents with eating disorders reported visiting such sites, according to a survey by the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, in Palo Alto, California. Despite attempts to shut them down or block them from search engines, the sites remain popular and prevalent.

The scariest part of these virtual support groups is that visitors can get tips on how to eat only the bare minimum and how to fast, as well as view photos to “inspire” those with anorexia and bulimia. Usually run by people with eating disorders, the sites nickname anorexia “Ana” and bulimia “Mia.” If you suspect your child is frequenting these sites, encourage her to confide in you or a trained professional, advises survey author Rebecka Peebles, M.D. “Visiting these sites is a cry for help,” she says. “Even if she doesn’t have a full-blown eating disorder, she may need support regarding eating issues.”

Copyright 2006 by Ladies Home Journal Magazine. All rights reserved.
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