Networking websites urged to clamp down on pro-anorexia sites
Networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace are being urged to clamp down on pro-anorexia sites. A spokesperson for MySpace said they were working with organisations such as B-eat, but believe it is “hard to distinguish between support groups and pro-anorexia groups”.
According to an article on the BBC website, over 1.1 million Britons are known to suffer from an eating disorder, however experts believe the numbers could actually be much higher as many cases go undiagnosed.
The rise of the Internet and new media has helped individuals easily access information on how to get thin, and Susan Ringwood from B-eat said they “were not calling for such sites to be banned completely, but for greater awareness of the dangers and for more support online so the sites are not the ‘only refuge’”.