Social Networking Sites Make People Fat

Facebook 'makes you fat' as Britons pile on the pounds

By Hannah Wood, Mirror.co.uk 15/08/2008

Facebook is turning Britain into a nation of fatties.

Millions of Britons are piling on the pounds at a dramatic rate by scoffing crisps and chocolate while online instead of eating healthy meals, according to a new survey.

A third of people said they had put on half a stone in three months and nearly half of Brits, who spend an average of two-and-a-half hours a day surfing the net, claim that they would rather miss out on a proper evening meal than miss out on the latest status updates of their friends.

And almost three-quarters said they found it hard to stop surfing once they’d gone online with the most popular time to log on between 6pm and 9pm.

Newcastle tops the list for the British city where most skip meals (57 per cent), closely followed by Manchester (52 per cent), Liverpool (48 per cent) and then Bristol (48 per cent), says the new survey by Somerfield.

In London 44 per cent admit to online addiction with social networking sites Facebook, Bebo and MySpace being the most popular pastime, followed by instant messaging to stay in touch.

Somerfield spokesman, Pete Williams, said: “Our digital habits are changing the way we live our lives and can be unhealthy.”