Nicole Hawkins, PhD, CEDS-C

Presentation Title:

“From Pressure to Crisis: The Impact of Social Media on Body Image, Eating Disorders, and Suicide Risk in Adolescent Girls”

Presentation Overview:

This presentation aims to investigate the detrimental impact of social media, the diet industry, and the perpetuation of the thin ideal on the development of eating disorders among young girls and women.  The rise of social media platforms has revolutionized communication and information dissemination, but has also brought a multitude of challenges, particularly in relation to body image dissatisfaction, mental health problems, and disordered eating behaviors for young girls and women.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify how the thin-ideal in the media impacts adolescent girls and women.
2. Describe the impact of social media on the adolescent girls and women and the effects on mental health.
3. Discuss the diet industry and the role it plays on the development of poor body image and disordered eating, and the importance of intuitive eating.

Speaker Biography:

Dr. Hawkins is a clinical psychologist and is the Chief Executive Officer at Center for Change. She is a specialist in eating disorders and body image and has provided clinical expertise at Center for Change since 1999. Dr. Hawkins developed a comprehensive body image program that focuses on the media, diet industry, plastic surgery, childhood issues, and learning to appreciate one’s body, and she leads these groups for the Inpatient and Residential patients at Center for Change. She is a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist (Consultant), has published several articles, and presents regularly at national and regional conferences.