The content we consume online can have been found time and time again to be a huge driver of body image issues. According to extensive research young people are particularly at risk. Social media, in particular, is packed with unrealistic images and ideals. These platforms can be an incubator for mental illness - including eating disorders. This has been a growing problem for years and it's why the Australian Government created the Office of the eSafety Commissioner. It's effectively the country's online watchdog.
Cara Webber is the senior education officer at the eSafety commission. She spends a lot of her time speaking to young people and their parents about how to have safe and positive experiences online. She is particularly interested in encouraging people to become positive influencers and take a leadership role in shaping happily and healthy digital cultures.
In this episode of Let’s Talk In Depth, Cara takes host Sam Ikin through some of the measures the commission is taking to make sure kids are not developing negative body image or disordered eating patterns as a result of their social media experience.