Eating disorders can be a painful topic for some, but most tend to avoid sensitivity and ask the question, "How are these illnesses caused?" A prolific number of people return with a widespread idea that it is society that leads young women to starve and acquire eating disorders. These disorders have been around for quite some time, whether many are aware of it or not. Over the centuries, many women have been pressured to look a certain way. With the help of the internet and cell phones, however, the consummate image of women has been around the world since the late 1990s. Eating disorders, such as anorexia, are caused by social media and social pressures that create a low self-image of young women. This disquisition will demonstrate that those ideas about social media and eating disorders are true, along with how and why. I will delve into how important the Internet is and how influential magazines and society can be for girls. By pushing themselves to look thin, many go too far and end up developing eating disorders. Finally, these diseases are not unique to the United States. Social pressures extend across the globe and so do eating disorders. The Internet plays a key role in the lives of young people. Many people are surprised by the number of teenagers and young adults who use the Internet. Amanda Lenhart and colleagues state in the article "Social Media and Young Adults" that 93% of adolescents ages 14 to 17 and young adults ages 18 to 29 use the Internet (10). The graph shown on page 11 shows the change in the increase in the number of teens using the Internet from 2000 to 2009. A number of teens also own cell phones. The graph displays...... half of the sheet ......y. “Body image and media: an overview.” Viewpoints: Body Image and the Media 2013: p1-1. 1p. Reference center Points of view. EBSCO. Network. February 12, 2014. Lenhart, Amanda, et al. “Social Media and Young Adults.” Pew Internet and American Life Project 3 (2010). Network. March 3, 2014.Mankiller, Wilma et al. "Eating disorders". The reader's companion to the history of American women. 1 December 1998: np SIRS Issues Researcher. Network. March 03, 2014.Marquand, Sarrah Le. “Fighting the Body Image War.” Daily Telegraph (Surry Hills). April 13, 2013: 45. SIRS Issues Researcher. Network. February 14, 2014. Salter, Jim. “Social Media Fuels a Dangerous Weight Loss Goal.” Independence Examiner.04 October 2013: np SIRS Issues Researcher. Network. March 1, 2014."Eating disorders among girls are on the rise." Daily Star (Beirut, Lebanon). 01 June 2013: np Researcher on SIRS issues. Network. 03 March. 2014.