LiveJournal is a blogging site, not a pro-anorexia one! It does have some pro-anorexia blogs on it, as some people choose to write that stuff, but it's got millions of other sorts of blogs too!

Jay, London,

Not all such sites are bad or teaching impressionable people to 'kill' themselves. Many people go there for support and encourage one another to seek treatments. It's where a lot of sufferers go for understanding so that they won't be looked down upon and treated as inferior by others around them.

It would be a horrific if these sites were all shut down as then sufferers of Anorexia or Bulimia would be alone, forced to get more secretive and would never truly know when they needed specialist help as who would there be to ask who wouldn't scorn them or 'freak out' about it?

It's a horrible disorder to have and if these individuals find it easier to cope by talking to those that are going through the same problems, then let them have it. This is just the first step of getting help and learning to cope together.

Villon, South England,

This is not about censoring speech, it's about saving lives of people who can't save themselves. These people are writing how to kill and how to hurt yourself. Would you be a proponent for sites that tell you how to cut yourself? Well anorexia and bulimia can be just as deadly.

Vegetarianism and anorexia, a disorder are very different.One's a healthy choice the other is death.

Ashley, Washington, DC

these sites also give support to poeple with eating disorders. ther were not made to encourage anyone to develop eating disorders and without them hundreds of girls will be alone with their disorder. there are also posts not mentioned here where girls persuade others not to commit suiicde and posts where girls are given support to recover from their eating disorder.

jane, northumberland, UK

These sites are extremely dangerous. They become almost like a cult, encouraging impressionable teenagers to pursue a deadly path of perfection through starvation, and deserve to be shut down. While I don't think you can simply 'catch' an eating disorder, I should think these sites may push people wavering on the edge over. Pro-ana and pro-mia sites are some of the saddest and most heart-rending stories you can ever read - the reckless downwards spiral of what is suicide, in the name of an impossible ideal. These sites only encourage you further into eating disorders, and sometimes actively hinder participants from seeking treatment by painting it as a lifestyle rather than a mental disease.
Provided these shut downs don't spread to the more neutral, eating disorder support type sites, I think this is a good idea.

Pip, Cambridge,

I run a blog in the US that attempts to be a voice of reason for these young women who have entered or are thinking of entering the 'proana' lifestyle.

The reality is it takes about 5 minutes to set up a new site, these kids are tech savvy and they are laughing at their computer illiterate parents who have 'no clue' about their starvation lifestyle.

Awareness, not censorship will go a lot further in this effort.

Heather, Milwaukee, WI

Good, good, good!
This is a mental illness which is killing not just young girls but men and mature women who should have the confidence to know it is nonsense.
I would ban all diet sheets and articles from magazines. They fuel an obsession and a discomfort around food which actually leads to weight gain.
Eat well and be active, thats all that is needed, but there are no fortunes to be gained for the diet and "health" industry from simple common sense.

CA Metcalfe, England,

First they close down these sites in the name of protecting young girls.

Next they will close down jihadist sites in the name of national security.

Then they will close down racist sites in the name of protecting diversity.

Then they will close down anti immigration sites in the name of protecting multiculturism.

Then they will close down religious sites to protect sinners from being offended by them.

Then they will close down antireligious sites to protect the faithful from being offended.

Then they will close down libertarian sites to protect people from developing anti government ideas.

Then they will close down political sites which challenge ideologies and policies to protect the government.

Then they will close down all sites which publish information, news unflattering to the powerful or ideas which challenge the status quo.

We will be left with an internet, where all speech is censored, news is filtered, discussion is monitered and dissent illegal.

Emily, Galway, Ireland

Holly white sheets... 1/3 of our children are obese and 2/3s are overweight and we are censoring stuff about starving ourselves to death? Let me guess - the women at the Internet watchdog have a BMI of... 40?

if this think tank would advocate an end to agricultural subsidies of meat and sugar - that would be one thing.

but going after freedom of speech in the name of saving teenage girls is like prohibiting individuals from claiming that smoking is cool and that they enjoy alcohol.

I am a vegetarian but I cannot stop somebody from claiming that he likes meat or cheesecake. I can offer alternatives but infringing his freedom of speech is not in my best interest and a price not worth paying?

raw prohibition just pushes everything into the underground where nothing is transparent and not real help can be provided to those in need.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ISil7IHzxc

Hugo Pottisch, Vienna/SF,

No notice in the spanish newspapers

victor, madrid, spain