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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Any Worrying Online Trends Around?

5 replies

RabbitsRock · 05/01/2025 18:00

Really concerned about some of DD16’s behaviour lately. We have a much better relationship with her generally since she finally split up with her toxic, controlling GF & are able to talk to her openly about a lot of things but this particular thing is proving difficult. She’s barely eating & often does very vigorous exercise in her room, sometimes immediately after food if she’s had any. Her room has laminate flooring which makes it sound extra loud. I was outside her room earlier as she was exercising & she was talking incomprehensibly, gasping & sometimes almost letting out a scream - it could almost be sexual. She sounds out of breath as soon as she starts whatever it is (sounds like jumping up & down very fast or sometimes the bed springs are squeaking) & it has occasionally sounded like she’s swearing. I did chat to her but she just laughed when I told her I’m worried it’s something sexual & that someone online may be persuading her to do inappropriate stuff. We have also talked about her refusal to eat/fear of food & reassured her that we will support & help her in whatever ways she needs us to.
My main reason for posting is to ask if any parents have experience of worrying trends on TikTok or similar or experience of websites that promote competitive starving? DD showed me some photos on Tumblr & they were absolutely horrifying 😢

OP posts:
OzCalling · 05/01/2025 18:03

I’d put my bets on Chloe Ting online workouts, or something along those lines. The exercise sounds ED related - are you getting her help? Jumping to the conclusion that it’s something sexual is ridiculous OP when there’s a very obvious (and very likely) alternative.

HPandthelastwish · 05/01/2025 18:06

It doesn't need to be a trend though, the internet is full of pro ana content etc that she can get access to if she decided to search for it, the algorithm will take her from whatever she searched for to more current content

It sounds very ED related and I'd be having a word with the GP or getting her other help

RabbitsRock · 05/01/2025 18:48

Ozcalling it’s just that we have gone down that road before - DD & a friend were being asked for nudes. Certainly not saying it isn’t ED related. DD’s eating has been disordered for quite some time. She is in therapy, although not specifically for that. There’s so much going on for her. She’s adopted & we reckon some of the behaviours are her trying to fit in, albeit in extreme ways. Trying to discover who she is. She says herself that mental health issues can be very competitive. So so worrying 😢

OP posts:
QuestionsAndAnswers123 · 10/01/2025 21:08

It’s not sexual. I had an eating disorder and can spot one from a mile away. It’s this.
Eating disorders are vastly competitive and there is SO much content online targeted at teenagers that promote eating disorders.
take her to the GP now and ask for a referral.
nobody Uses tumblr anymore for anything other than something called ‘thinspo’ which is eating disorder vocabulary for photos of underweight people which some ‘aspire’ to look like. If she has shown you these, she’s further into an ED than you thought.

she will tell you she’s fine etc etc- do not listen. She is driving her body to a very poor state and by the description of her vigorous exercise, it sounds like she doesn’t actually have control of this anymore or she wouldn’t do things which are clearly unenjoyable

TinyMouseTheatre · 10/01/2025 22:40

QuestionsAndAnswers123 · 10/01/2025 21:08

It’s not sexual. I had an eating disorder and can spot one from a mile away. It’s this.
Eating disorders are vastly competitive and there is SO much content online targeted at teenagers that promote eating disorders.
take her to the GP now and ask for a referral.
nobody Uses tumblr anymore for anything other than something called ‘thinspo’ which is eating disorder vocabulary for photos of underweight people which some ‘aspire’ to look like. If she has shown you these, she’s further into an ED than you thought.

she will tell you she’s fine etc etc- do not listen. She is driving her body to a very poor state and by the description of her vigorous exercise, it sounds like she doesn’t actually have control of this anymore or she wouldn’t do things which are clearly unenjoyable

Could not agree more. Her behaviour absolutely screams ED.

Please talk to someone like BEAT and get her to the GP as soon as you can Flowers

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