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[–]PatsyStoneMaverique 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

In my opinion, many of these teenagers were "terminally online" even pre-COVID because it was the only space they could access without parental overinvolvement.

Completely right. Modern middle class American kids aren't allowed to leave their houses without supervision. It fucks them up and delays maturation until they're already well into adulthood. Add to that the intense pressure they're put under by their parents and peers, you have a recipe for trouble.

Transitioning is similar to anorexia in this way, I think. Anorexia is fundamentally about control.

Teen girls (for instance) who live in emotionally stifling environments, especially where they aren't allowed to express anger openly, and who have no agency in their lives will obsess about what food they take in because they have no control over anything else. Being thin brings social rewards with it as well, positive attention and praise.

Anorexia is also frequently connected to discomfort with sexuality, or a desire to rid oneself of sexual urges you can't process. Victims of sexual abuse and same-sex attracted women are much likelier to develop an eating disorder than the population at large.