Abstract
Eating disorders are one of the most common psychiatric disorders. It has a significant impact on mortality that affects a huge percentage of the population. This study aims to understand the relationship and impact of the use of social media, such as Instagram (Meta Platforms, Inc., Menlo Park, CA), Snapchat (Snap Inc., Santa Monica, CA), Facebook (Meta Platforms, Inc., Menlo Park, CA), Twitter (X Corp., San Francisco, CA), TikTok (ByteDance Ltd., Beijing, China), and YouTube (Google LLC, Mountain View, CA), on body image and eating disorders in Arab countries. A literature review was conducted. A computerised search was performed on electronic websites such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, limiting it to the past 20 years, focusing on participants with eating disorders and the use of social media. The results show that there is a strong relationship between social media and eating disorders, as social media has a negative effect on how people view their bodies and body image, which leads to an increase in the risk of eating disorders. The risk of eating disorders increases with the use of social media; therefore, preventative methods should be considered.