This is increasingly concerning as celebrities and online influencers promote ultra-thin body ideals alongside growing promotion of weight-loss drugs and unregulated peptides.

EDFA Executive Director Jane Rowan said the settlement was an important acknowledgement of the risks social media platforms can pose to young people’s mental health, but left a key issue unaddressed. 

“The new safeguards are a welcome step forward in the global fight to protect our young people from the harms of social media,” Ms Rowan said. 

“However, one of the biggest concerns for families affected by eating disorders remains the algorithms that determine what young people are repeatedly shown. 

“The danger is not simply that this content exists. It is that the recommendation systems can learn from a young person’s behaviour and serve them more and more of it. For someone vulnerable to an eating disorder, that repeated exposure can be incredibly harmful. “ 

According to EDFA’s own research, 81% of parents and carers believe social media either contributed to the development of their loved one’s eating disorder or significantly hampered their recovery.  

An EDFA survey conducted nationwide in November and December 2025 found eating behaviours, self-esteem and mental wellbeing were the areas of greatest concern for parents when it came to their young person’s social media use with almost one-third of parents rating these as very poor.  

“Parents and carers absolutely have a role to play, but we cannot continue placing the primary responsibility for protecting children on families while leaving the systems driving content recommendations largely intact. 

“We are seeing a disturbing resurgence of ultra-thin body ideals at the same time as weight-loss drugs and peptides are becoming increasingly visible online. For young people already struggling with body image, disordered eating, or an eating disorder, an algorithm that repeatedly feeds them this content can reinforce exactly the behaviours and beliefs families and clinicians are desperately trying to counter. 

“Safer settings are progress, but safer algorithms are essential. If social media companies are serious about protecting young people, they must address the algorithm design that amplifies this harmful content to those who are most vulnerable.”  

EDFA is calling on all social media platforms to be held accountable not only for the content they host but also for their content recommendations. Platform design must include safeguards that prevent vulnerable young people being repeatedly directed towards harmful eating disorder, extreme weight loss, and body image content.  

Media Contact: 
Eating Disorders Families Australia (EDFA) 
Media contact: Tracey Adamson – EDFA National Marketing and Communications Manager
P: 0475 612 314
E: tracey.adamson@edfa.org.au