Latest news with #Saltz
USA Today
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
This mom ‘de-pilled' her teen son. What is that and why are people praising her?
This mom 'de-pilled' her teen son. What is that and why are people praising her? Show Caption Hide Caption What the emojis in Netflix's 'Adolescence' mean Since its release, Netflix's 'Adolescence' has sparked widespread discussion, offering a chilling look at the impact of the internet and social media on children. unbranded - Entertainment As the Netflix series 'Adolescence' continues to spark difficult conversations about social media, "red-pilling" and the manosphere, one mom took to social media to share how she 'de-pilled' her son − and her post is making waves. The term red-pilled comes from a scene in the 1999 movie 'The Matrix' where a character chooses between a red pill that reveals the realities of the world and a blue pill offering blissful ignorance. 'De-pilling' is meant to undo 'red-pilling." In the context of the manosphere, a web of conservative cultural critics, the "red pill" refers to being awakened to the supposed truth about men and women. In this mother's TikTok video that amassed over 2.4 million views, she explained how an off-handed comment hinted to her that her son may have been exposed to content that disparaged women. "We were just having a normal conversation, and he said to me 'well, women are gold diggers anyway.' " During their conversation, she asked him questions and he eventually showed her the video where he heard similar comments. Dr. Gail Saltz, an associate professor of psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College, says this is the right approach: To be 'inquisitive and curious.' 'If you lecture your child… You shut down the conversation,' she says. 'Try being curious and letting your kid share with you what they're seeing and how they feel about it.' Hearts, kidney bean: Netflix's 'Adolescence,' toxic masculinity and what these emoji really mean Know the signs The first step is to learn the terminology used in the manosphere. In the series 'Adolescence,' detectives learned that emojis – such as hearts, kidney bean and the 100 emoji – had different meanings that nodded to the manosphere. A TikTok user who commented on the viral video wrote: "Mine said '...well women are supposed to be mothers.' " Another commented her 14-year-old suddenly began using the word "females" instead of women or girls. (The original poster replied: "a very good sign, that's how they're referred to in those videos.") 'It's naïve to think that your child will not see this stuff at some point and so really what you're trying to do is stay open to it and aware that it's there,' Saltz says. 'Educate yourself about the words they're talking about… if you hear the terminology crop up, you're going to know what's going on.' Apart from terminology, Saltz also recommends parents be aware of behaviors that could point to mental health struggles, such as more time alone with a device, mood changes and poor grades in school. How to counteract toxic internet culture The best approach to talking to kids about conspiracy theory, toxic or controversial internet content is to be as direct as possible with curious questions regarding how they feel about what they've seen and where they found it, Saltz says. She emphasizes the conversation should be an 'exploration, not an interrogation' and recommends asking kids to share concrete sources for what they've heard. In the viral TikTok video, the mom began her line of questioning by asking her son what women in his life he would consider to be gold diggers. When he couldn't name one, she pivoted to his sourcing and asked her son what he thought about the men in the videos making these assertions: Do they look like they know what they're talking about? Are they in functional relationships? 'She guided her son in some evidence-based thinking, which is smart because that is the way out of conspiratorial thinking,' Saltz says. "A trusted relationship has the best chance of questioning this supposed truth that this child has been offered as a belief system… Moms are in a good position to do that.' It's also important to address mental health struggles and possible feelings of loneliness or isolation, and seek professional help, she added. 'Young boys and young men are increasingly lonely, disenfranchised, depressed, anxious and feeling unsupported," Saltz says. "All of those things make them more susceptible to becoming radicalized in these communities." Women are abused online every day. One turned her nightmare into a book. Prevention is key While it's never too late to de-radicalize a child, Saltz says parents can take some preventative measures ahead of time. Parents can try limiting their child's access to social media by pushing off giving them a smartphone for as long as possible or enforcing house rules that limit smartphone use, including keeping phones in common areas like the living room or handing them back to parents before bedtime. But the best thing parents can do is have an honest, open and empathetic relationship with their child. If they have this type of relationship from the start, it will be easier to address issues in the future. It also gives children social-emotional tools for when they're inevitably confronted with one of these videos in an algorithm. 'Start with little kids being like, 'How do you feel? What do you think about those feelings and what do you understand?' ' she says. 'This is just good empathetic connecting and you're helping your child develop those skills for themselves… It gets harder when you get older.' Contributing: Rachel Hale, USA TODAY. Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@
CNN
20-02-2025
- Health
- CNN
Muscle-building supplements may put teens at risk for a body image disorder, study finds
Protein shakes, pre-workout mixes and other supplements aren't always just a part of a gym routine. In adolescents and young adults, they could be connected to a body image disorder that exhibits a pathological focus on muscle development and leanness, according to new research. 'The use of 6 different dietary supplements intended for muscle building was associated with greater symptoms of muscle dysmorphia,' said lead study author Dr. Kyle Ganson, assistant professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, via email. 'This included whey protein powder and creatine, both of which are commonly used among young people trying to gain muscle.' The association was especially strong with supplements for gaining weight or mass, and the symptoms, such as excessive gym time and obsessing over food intake, increased as the number of supplements used grew, according to a new study published Wednesday in journal PLOS Mental Health. The study team analyzed data from 2,731 participants ages 16 to 30 of the Canadian Study of Adolescent Health Behaviors, which aims to gather information on disordered eating, muscle-building behavior, body image and social health. The researchers analyzed the participants' reports of supplement use against their symptoms of muscle dysmorphia, which were assessed using the Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory, according to the study. The study is observational, meaning it's hard to say whether the use of supplements increased the symptoms of muscle dysmorphia or if people with more muscle dysmorphia symptoms were more likely to take more supplements, said Dr. Gail Saltz, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College. Saltz was not involved in the research. This study shows that younger people who may not use anabolic steroids, which have been found to be harmful, might still be using other substances to treat their muscle dysmorphia, and the public needs to be more aware, Saltz said. 'Many people think supplements are safe because it's just a supplement,' she said. 'But in fact, that is not always the case.' What is muscle dysmorphic disorder? Muscle dysmorphia is a subset of body dysmorphic disorder, in which an individual is preoccupied with an imagined defect in their appearance, Saltz said. Those with muscle dysmorphia believe their body should be leaner and more muscular. 'People who experience muscle dysmorphia often have significant challenges in their social lives, and can experience severe emotional distress,' Ganson said. 'Not to mention, these individuals may go to extreme lengths to achieve their body ideal, such as using anabolic steroids.' And it isn't just a matter of lowered confidence, Saltz said. Even if people with this disorder reach the ideal image they are striving for, it doesn't fix the distress. 'When they look in the mirror, they don't see what you see when you look at them,' she said. Other warning signs include having a rigid exercise routine, experiencing emotional distress, and facing difficulty completing expectations such as school and work, Ganson said. You might also see people with muscle dysmorphic disorder avoiding socially normal body exposure — such as removing their shirts at the beach — or missing social gatherings because of feelings around their appearance, Saltz added. What's so bad about supplements? Using supplements to change a body's appearance is common. While 2.2% of young adult males report using steroids, 36.3% report using protein powders and shakes, while 10.1% said they use other muscle-building substances such as creatine and growth hormones, according to a June 2022 study. Most supplements are readily available with little to no regulation, and 'studies analyzing these products have found that many are mislabeled and are tainted with harmful substances like anabolic steroids,' said study coauthor Dr. Jason Nagata, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. The US Food and Drug Administration does monitor adverse health impacts and occasionally inspects manufacturing facilities. However, under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, the agency does not have jurisdiction to approve dietary supplements before they enter the public marketplace. There are also few studies on supplements' safety and efficacy, Nagata added. 'Muscle-building supplements, which may be legal, can serve as gateway drugs to steroid use,' Nagata said. 'We previously found that young adults using muscle-building substances were three times more likely to start anabolic steroid use seven years later.' Pre-workout supplements often contain caffeine — some with the same amount found in several cups of coffee, he added. Some people 'dry scoop' before a workout or consume protein powder dry without mixing in water, Nagata added. 'Dry scooping is particularly dangerous practice because it provides a high and potent dose of a product that is meant to be diluted in water,' he said. 'Dry scooping provides a pure and highly concentrated burst of a product that can have toxic effects.' How to treat muscle dysmorphia One important step is to challenge the information and ideals coming out of social media, especially for teens who are undergoing rapid changes and making frequent comparisons with others during puberty, Nagata said. 'Social media posts about muscle-building supplements and anabolic steroids overwhelmingly demonstrate positive muscle-building effects,' he said. 'Social media can exacerbate body comparisons and lead to muscle dissatisfaction and the use of anabolic steroids or other muscle-building drugs and supplements in teens.' This use of social media is especially true for boys, who are more likely to allow for a public following than girls and are more likely to show off muscles online than faces, Nagata said. 'Men's bodies are on display more than ever on social media, especially through influencer accounts. The idealized bodies that influencers post may be heavily filtered or the best of hundreds of photos,' he added. When it comes to treating muscle dysmorphia, there are many methods that can be helpful, including different forms of cognitive behavioral therapy that help examine thought patterns and reframe perceptions, Saltz said. Sometimes medications –– such as those used to treat anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder –– are needed as well, she added. Eating disorder resources US: National Eating Disorders AssociationThe NEDA has a confidential, toll-free helpline at 800-931-2237 as well as an online click-to-chat service. For 24/7 crisis support, text 'NEDA' to NEDA also has a list of online and free or low-cost National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated DisordersANAD runs a helpline at 888-375-7767 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT and provides links to support groups and treatment National Eating Disorders CollaborationA call center at 800-334-673 and online chat run by the Butterfly Foundation is open 8 a.m. to midnight AET every day except public Beat (formerly known as the Eating Disorders Association)Helplines for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are open 9 a.m. to midnight weekdays and 4 p.m. to midnight weekends and bank holidays, every day of the year. Families, health care professionals and sports coaches are key in helping to identify muscle dysmorphia in adolescents and young adults, Saltz said. Because the imagined defect feels so real to the person experiencing the condition, it can be hard to have insight into the problem, she added. The people around an individual with muscle dysmorphia can help by knowing what to look for.
CNN
19-02-2025
- Health
- CNN
Muscle-building supplements may put teens at risk for a body image disorder, study finds
Protein shakes, pre-workout mixes and other supplements aren't always just a part of a gym routine. In adolescents and young adults, they could be connected to a body image disorder that exhibits a pathological focus on muscle development and leanness, according to new research. 'The use of 6 different dietary supplements intended for muscle building was associated with greater symptoms of muscle dysmorphia,' said lead study author Dr. Kyle Ganson, assistant professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, via email. 'This included whey protein powder and creatine, both of which are commonly used among young people trying to gain muscle.' The association was especially strong with supplements for gaining weight or mass, and the symptoms, such as excessive gym time and obsessing over food intake, increased as the number of supplements used grew, according to a new study published Wednesday in journal PLOS Mental Health. The study team analyzed data from 2,731 participants ages 16 to 30 of the Canadian Study of Adolescent Health Behaviors, which aims to gather information on disordered eating, muscle-building behavior, body image and social health. The researchers analyzed the participants' reports of supplement use against their symptoms of muscle dysmorphia, which were assessed using the Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory, according to the study. The study is observational, meaning it's hard to say whether the use of supplements increased the symptoms of muscle dysmorphia or if people with more muscle dysmorphia symptoms were more likely to take more supplements, said Dr. Gail Saltz, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College. Saltz was not involved in the research. This study shows that younger people who may not use anabolic steroids, which have been found to be harmful, might still be using other substances to treat their muscle dysmorphia, and the public needs to be more aware, Saltz said. 'Many people think supplements are safe because it's just a supplement,' she said. 'But in fact, that is not always the case.' What is muscle dysmorphic disorder? Muscle dysmorphia is a subset of body dysmorphic disorder, in which an individual is preoccupied with an imagined defect in their appearance, Saltz said. Those with muscle dysmorphia believe their body should be leaner and more muscular. 'People who experience muscle dysmorphia often have significant challenges in their social lives, and can experience severe emotional distress,' Ganson said. 'Not to mention, these individuals may go to extreme lengths to achieve their body ideal, such as using anabolic steroids.' And it isn't just a matter of lowered confidence, Saltz said. Even if people with this disorder reach the ideal image they are striving for, it doesn't fix the distress. 'When they look in the mirror, they don't see what you see when you look at them,' she said. Other warning signs include having a rigid exercise routine, experiencing emotional distress, and facing difficulty completing expectations such as school and work, Ganson said. You might also see people with muscle dysmorphic disorder avoiding socially normal body exposure — such as removing their shirts at the beach — or missing social gatherings because of feelings around their appearance, Saltz added. What's so bad about supplements? Using supplements to change a body's appearance is common. While 2.2% of young adult males report using steroids, 36.3% report using protein powders and shakes, while 10.1% said they use other muscle-building substances such as creatine and growth hormones, according to a June 2022 study. Most supplements are readily available with little to no regulation, and 'studies analyzing these products have found that many are mislabeled and are tainted with harmful substances like anabolic steroids,' said study coauthor Dr. Jason Nagata, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. The US Food and Drug Administration does monitor adverse health impacts and occasionally inspects manufacturing facilities. However, under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, the agency does not have jurisdiction to approve dietary supplements before they enter the public marketplace. There are also few studies on supplements' safety and efficacy, Nagata added. 'Muscle-building supplements, which may be legal, can serve as gateway drugs to steroid use,' Nagata said. 'We previously found that young adults using muscle-building substances were three times more likely to start anabolic steroid use seven years later.' Pre-workout supplements often contain caffeine — some with the same amount found in several cups of coffee, he added. Some people 'dry scoop' before a workout or consume protein powder dry without mixing in water, Nagata added. 'Dry scooping is particularly dangerous practice because it provides a high and potent dose of a product that is meant to be diluted in water,' he said. 'Dry scooping provides a pure and highly concentrated burst of a product that can have toxic effects.' How to treat muscle dysmorphia One important step is to challenge the information and ideals coming out of social media, especially for teens who are undergoing rapid changes and making frequent comparisons with others during puberty, Nagata said. 'Social media posts about muscle-building supplements and anabolic steroids overwhelmingly demonstrate positive muscle-building effects,' he said. 'Social media can exacerbate body comparisons and lead to muscle dissatisfaction and the use of anabolic steroids or other muscle-building drugs and supplements in teens.' This use of social media is especially true for boys, who are more likely to allow for a public following than girls and are more likely to show off muscles online than faces, Nagata said. 'Men's bodies are on display more than ever on social media, especially through influencer accounts. The idealized bodies that influencers post may be heavily filtered or the best of hundreds of photos,' he added. When it comes to treating muscle dysmorphia, there are many methods that can be helpful, including different forms of cognitive behavioral therapy that help examine thought patterns and reframe perceptions, Saltz said. Sometimes medications –– such as those used to treat anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder –– are needed as well, she added. Eating disorder resources US: National Eating Disorders AssociationThe NEDA has a confidential, toll-free helpline at 800-931-2237 as well as an online click-to-chat service. For 24/7 crisis support, text 'NEDA' to NEDA also has a list of online and free or low-cost National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated DisordersANAD runs a helpline at 888-375-7767 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT and provides links to support groups and treatment National Eating Disorders CollaborationA call center at 800-334-673 and online chat run by the Butterfly Foundation is open 8 a.m. to midnight AET every day except public Beat (formerly known as the Eating Disorders Association)Helplines for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are open 9 a.m. to midnight weekdays and 4 p.m. to midnight weekends and bank holidays, every day of the year. Families, health care professionals and sports coaches are key in helping to identify muscle dysmorphia in adolescents and young adults, Saltz said. Because the imagined defect feels so real to the person experiencing the condition, it can be hard to have insight into the problem, she added. The people around an individual with muscle dysmorphia can help by knowing what to look for.
CNN
19-02-2025
- Health
- CNN
Muscle-building supplements may put teens at risk for a body image disorder, study finds
Protein shakes, pre-workout mixes and other supplements aren't always just a part of a gym routine. In adolescents and young adults, they could be connected to a body image disorder that exhibits a pathological focus on muscle development and leanness, according to new research. 'The use of 6 different dietary supplements intended for muscle building was associated with greater symptoms of muscle dysmorphia,' said lead study author Dr. Kyle Ganson, assistant professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, via email. 'This included whey protein powder and creatine, both of which are commonly used among young people trying to gain muscle.' The association was especially strong with supplements for gaining weight or mass, and the symptoms, such as excessive gym time and obsessing over food intake, increased as the number of supplements used grew, according to a new study published Wednesday in journal PLOS Mental Health. The study team analyzed data from 2,731 participants ages 16 to 30 of the Canadian Study of Adolescent Health Behaviors, which aims to gather information on disordered eating, muscle-building behavior, body image and social health. The researchers analyzed the participants' reports of supplement use against their symptoms of muscle dysmorphia, which were assessed using the Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory, according to the study. The study is observational, meaning it's hard to say whether the use of supplements increased the symptoms of muscle dysmorphia or if people with more muscle dysmorphia symptoms were more likely to take more supplements, said Dr. Gail Saltz, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College. Saltz was not involved in the research. This study shows that younger people who may not use anabolic steroids, which have been found to be harmful, might still be using other substances to treat their muscle dysmorphia, and the public needs to be more aware, Saltz said. 'Many people think supplements are safe because it's just a supplement,' she said. 'But in fact, that is not always the case.' What is muscle dysmorphic disorder? Muscle dysmorphia is a subset of body dysmorphic disorder, in which an individual is preoccupied with an imagined defect in their appearance, Saltz said. Those with muscle dysmorphia believe their body should be leaner and more muscular. 'People who experience muscle dysmorphia often have significant challenges in their social lives, and can experience severe emotional distress,' Ganson said. 'Not to mention, these individuals may go to extreme lengths to achieve their body ideal, such as using anabolic steroids.' And it isn't just a matter of lowered confidence, Saltz said. Even if people with this disorder reach the ideal image they are striving for, it doesn't fix the distress. 'When they look in the mirror, they don't see what you see when you look at them,' she said. Other warning signs include having a rigid exercise routine, experiencing emotional distress, and facing difficulty completing expectations such as school and work, Ganson said. You might also see people with muscle dysmorphic disorder avoiding socially normal body exposure — such as removing their shirts at the beach — or missing social gatherings because of feelings around their appearance, Saltz added. What's so bad about supplements? Using supplements to change a body's appearance is common. While 2.2% of young adult males report using steroids, 36.3% report using protein powders and shakes, while 10.1% said they use other muscle-building substances such as creatine and growth hormones, according to a June 2022 study. Most supplements are readily available with little to no regulation, and 'studies analyzing these products have found that many are mislabeled and are tainted with harmful substances like anabolic steroids,' said study coauthor Dr. Jason Nagata, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. The US Food and Drug Administration does monitor adverse health impacts and occasionally inspects manufacturing facilities. However, under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, the agency does not have jurisdiction to approve dietary supplements before they enter the public marketplace. There are also few studies on supplements' safety and efficacy, Nagata added. 'Muscle-building supplements, which may be legal, can serve as gateway drugs to steroid use,' Nagata said. 'We previously found that young adults using muscle-building substances were three times more likely to start anabolic steroid use seven years later.' Pre-workout supplements often contain caffeine — some with the same amount found in several cups of coffee, he added. Some people 'dry scoop' before a workout or consume protein powder dry without mixing in water, Nagata added. 'Dry scooping is particularly dangerous practice because it provides a high and potent dose of a product that is meant to be diluted in water,' he said. 'Dry scooping provides a pure and highly concentrated burst of a product that can have toxic effects.' How to treat muscle dysmorphia One important step is to challenge the information and ideals coming out of social media, especially for teens who are undergoing rapid changes and making frequent comparisons with others during puberty, Nagata said. 'Social media posts about muscle-building supplements and anabolic steroids overwhelmingly demonstrate positive muscle-building effects,' he said. 'Social media can exacerbate body comparisons and lead to muscle dissatisfaction and the use of anabolic steroids or other muscle-building drugs and supplements in teens.' This use of social media is especially true for boys, who are more likely to allow for a public following than girls and are more likely to show off muscles online than faces, Nagata said. 'Men's bodies are on display more than ever on social media, especially through influencer accounts. The idealized bodies that influencers post may be heavily filtered or the best of hundreds of photos,' he added. When it comes to treating muscle dysmorphia, there are many methods that can be helpful, including different forms of cognitive behavioral therapy that help examine thought patterns and reframe perceptions, Saltz said. Sometimes medications –– such as those used to treat anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder –– are needed as well, she added. Eating disorder resources US: National Eating Disorders AssociationThe NEDA has a confidential, toll-free helpline at 800-931-2237 as well as an online click-to-chat service. For 24/7 crisis support, text 'NEDA' to NEDA also has a list of online and free or low-cost National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated DisordersANAD runs a helpline at 888-375-7767 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT and provides links to support groups and treatment National Eating Disorders CollaborationA call center at 800-334-673 and online chat run by the Butterfly Foundation is open 8 a.m. to midnight AET every day except public Beat (formerly known as the Eating Disorders Association)Helplines for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are open 9 a.m. to midnight weekdays and 4 p.m. to midnight weekends and bank holidays, every day of the year. Families, health care professionals and sports coaches are key in helping to identify muscle dysmorphia in adolescents and young adults, Saltz said. Because the imagined defect feels so real to the person experiencing the condition, it can be hard to have insight into the problem, she added. The people around an individual with muscle dysmorphia can help by knowing what to look for.
