Peers and food: the effect of internet access on eating disorders among teenagers

Abstract

This research project examines the impact of household broadband internet access on eating disorder (ED) behaviors among Mexican teenagers aged 11 to 19. Exploiting variation over time and across municipalities in broadband infrastructure deployment, we implement an instrumental variable approach to estimate the effect of household internet access on ED risk behaviors, using nationally representative health survey data from 2012 and 2018. Our results provide evidence of a positive association between internet access and the likelihood of engaging in ED behaviors related to anorexia and anxiety, particularly worrying about gaining weight and episodes of binge eating. The effects are concentrated among teenage girls and the older cohort of adolescents, while no significant effects are found for boys or younger adolescents.