On October 25, 2024, Meta and the National Alliance for Eating Disorders hosted the first-ever Eating Disorder & Body Image Safety Summit, a collaborative initiative dedicated to creating safer online spaces for individuals impacted by eating disorders and body image concerns. This one-of-a-kind summit brought together voices from various fields, including clinicians, policy experts, advocates, and creators, each driven by a shared mission to support those experiencing or recovering from eating disorders. The event emphasized the importance of inclusive, community-driven solutions to ensure a supportive digital environment for all.

The day began with an overview of Meta’s approach to fostering safety and well-being on its platforms, followed by a workshop on the importance of being a conscious creator. Attendees explored strategies for building thoughtful content that prioritizes the health and well-being of their audiences. The summit’s sessions covered key topics such as Meta’s policies on eating disorder safety, insights into responsible content creation, and actionable ways to support vulnerable users.

Interactive breakout sessions allowed participants—including expert voices like treatment center clinicians and creators with lived experience—to provide feedback and contribute ideas for future policy and tool development. In a fireside chat with Nicole Lopez, attendees reflected on the power of collaboration and the essential role of partnerships in driving meaningful change. The Eating Disorder & Body Image Safety Summit laid the groundwork for a lasting cross-industry effort to ensure that individuals affected by eating disorders can engage safely and positively within digital communities, with Meta and the Alliance at the forefront of this transformative movement.

Key Takeaways

1. The summit provided a critical opportunity to build on the legacy of collaboration by connecting expert voices to Meta’s safety, product and policy teams. This alignment is further strengthened through our volunteer partnership with The National Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness.
2. The Alliance plays a crucial role in enhancing Meta’s understanding of the ED community, identifying opportunities to create safer and more enjoyable products and policies, and providing critical access to support and resources for those in need on our platforms. By leveraging The Alliance’s expertise, Meta can drive better outcomes and ensure an even more supportive online environment for individuals who may be struggling with eating disorders.
3. The summit gave critical communities an opportunity to understand the work Meta is doing to support people in crisis or struggling with eating disorders.
   This included the product and policy work we have done and are doing.
   The clinical and creator communities had an opportunity to participate in policy development.

What’s Next

This inaugural safety summit marks the beginning of what we hope will become an annual tradition: the ED Safety Summit, hosted by a rotating selection of tech companies and supported by a diverse range of ED NGOs.