zhōng guó

中国

yǐn cáng

隐藏

de

的

yǐn shí shī tiáo

饮食失调

shè qún

社群

On some social platforms in China, eating disorders are not only treated as a health issue; sometimes they are also packaged as a way to be “self-disciplined,” “become more beautiful,” and “find companions.”

If someone searches for “ED,” they may find some semi-hidden groups.

People in these groups share what they eat every day, how much they weigh, how little they eat, and even use special words to avoid platform checks.

Many posts treat a very thin body as the goal, and people encourage each other to keep losing weight.

Some people know very well that they are already too thin, but still cannot stop, because they feel that weight is the only thing they can control.

What is even more worrying is that some very young students are also in these groups, talking about how to hide it from their parents and teachers.

Studies have found that eating disorders are becoming more common among Chinese teenagers, and girls face a higher risk.

This problem cannot be solved just by deleting posts; schools, families, and society also need to work together to help young people build healthier ideas about their bodies.