4 in 10 High Schoolers Reported Binge Eating in the Past Month, in the CDC’s First National Count
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey has asked U.S. high school students about smoking, drinking, seatbelts and sleep since 1991. In 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added a question it had never asked: in the past 30 days, on how many days did you eat an unusually large amount of food in a short time and feel you couldn't stop? [1]
For the first time, the CDC asked American teenagers about binge eating. It turned out to be common, and it tracked closely with heavy social media use, poor mental health and thoughts of suicide.
The answers, published October 15, 2026, in a supplement to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, are the first national estimates of binge eating among U.S. high school students, and the survey's first national data on any disordered eating behavior since 2013. [1]
The numbers
40.5% of students reported binge eating on at least one day in the past month. [1]
17.2% reported it on three or more days, the threshold the researchers used to separate recurring binge eating from a one-off holiday meal. [1]
Recurrent binge eating was more common among girls (18.6%) than boys (15.9%), and there were no significant differences by grade. [1]
It was higher among Hispanic (20.5%) and Black (18.7%) students than among White (14.6%) and Middle Eastern or North African (9.9%) students, and higher among multiracial students (19.6%) than Middle Eastern or North African students. [1]
The authors flagged the boys' numbers in particular, noting earlier research suggesting disordered eating in male youth may go unrecognized. [1]
What it travels with
Students with certain other experiences reported recurrent binge eating far more often, even after adjusting for sex, grade, and race and ethnicity: [1]
Social media hourly or more: 22.8%, versus 12.9% among students using it once a day or less (about 1.7 times as common).
Poor mental health most of the time or always: 27.2% versus 14.0% (about 1.95 times as common).
Persistent sadness or hopelessness: 25.4% versus 12.8%.
Seriously considered suicide in the past year: 27.1% versus 15.3%.
One detail stands out. Students who used social media "several times a day" did not differ significantly from those using it once a day or less. The jump appeared only among the heaviest, hourly users. [1]
What the survey can't tell us
This is a snapshot, not a cause-and-effect study. The authors note that the design can't show whether social media use or poor mental health leads to binge eating, or the reverse. [1] The social media question measured how often students used it, not what they saw. [1]
A single survey question is also a blunt tool. Some teens may have counted ordinary overeating as binge eating, which could inflate the numbers, though the CDC says cognitive testing suggested most students understood the loss-of-control part of the question. [1] Of 10,710 students surveyed, 6,898 gave valid answers to this question, largely because some schools received a version of the survey without it. [1]
How the question got on the survey
The addition followed a 2024 recommendation from the Eating Disorder Public Health Surveillance Working Group, which pushed for disordered eating to be measured in the national survey. [1][2] Advocates have argued that without national numbers, the problem was easy for funders and policymakers to overlook. [2][3]
What readers can do
Parents and caregivers. Binge eating is defined by a sense of lost control, not just quantity. If a teen seems distressed, secretive or ashamed about eating, it is worth a calm conversation and a check-in with their pediatrician.
Schools. The CDC report points to approaches such as nonstigmatizing language in nutrition lessons, media literacy about edited images, environments that are inclusive of all body sizes, and early identification and referral, while noting those approaches were not tested in this study. [1]
Getting help. The National Alliance for Eating Disorders runs a free helpline staffed by licensed therapists at 866-662-1235 (Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–7 p.m. ET). [4] Anyone in crisis or having thoughts of suicide can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
The bottom line
The CDC finally asked, and roughly two in five teenagers said yes. The data can't explain why, but they make it harder to treat binge eating as a niche problem, and they put social media and teen mental health in the same conversation as what happens at the dinner table.
Vital Biomedical News is reader-supported and accepts no funding from pharmaceutical or medical device companies.
References
Saelee R, Beccia A, Celebrano B, et al. Prevalence of Binge Eating Behavior Among High School Students and Associations with Social Media Use, Mental Health, and Suicide Risk — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2025. MMWR Suppl. 2026;75(Suppl-1):44–53. doi:10.15585/mmwr.su7501a5. cdc.gov
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, STRIPED. Major Milestone: First National Data on Binge Eating Among U.S. High School Students Released. October 2026. hsph.harvard.edu
Todd S. Forty percent of high school students report binge eating in new CDC survey. STAT. October 15, 2026. statnews.com
National Alliance for Eating Disorders. Helpline. allianceforeatingdisorders.com