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Pro Anorexia and Social Networking Sites
The pro-anorexia/bulimia sites that have been in existence for some time are very disturbing, but they were never very easy to access. Reliable internet service providers would close them down, and many search engine filters would block them. The social network sites are much more readily available and easy to find. You can come across them without very much effort, or by accident whilst searching for something else. The dangerous aspects of any pro-anorexia/bulimia site is that they can encourage people to avoid treatment or gain ideas about how to maintain their disorder. The sooner someone gets treatment, the more likely they are to recover.
We believe that the sites should act responsibly. They have acted to remove other content that is seen as 'dangerous', or could encourage young people to do dangerous things. Anorexia and bulimia are dangerous activities and people can be encouraged to copy them, so they should be treated in the same way. At the same time we do acknowledge that the main reason people access these sites is to find support, understanding and acceptance. We don't call for the sites to be banned, but rather for everyone else to consider how they can also provide that understanding and acceptance so that these sites don't become the only refuge for someone.
