Hungry Hippos webhots letter

Contra – ana

Starve the pro – anorexia websites

Contra – ana Campaign Group

E-mail: NA734@live.mdx.ac.uk

Date: 20 March 2011

Contra – ana Campaign Group is a group that campaigns against the easy accessibility of anorexia stimulating websites, these websites influence and advises young girls on how to be and or stay anorexic using disturbing and alarming methods. A survey conducted states that anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among adolescents. With 85% of the patients being between the ages of 13 and 18 when they develop the eating disorder, and with only 30 to 40% of the patients ever fully recovering from it, anorexia imposes a serious threat with severe consequences for the children of the United Kingdom. Another survey held in 2006 by the Stanford Medical School found that 35.5% of eating disorder patients had visited pro – anorexia websites, and 96.0% had learned new weight loss or purging methods from such sites. An investigation, held by Internet security firm Optenet, found a 470% increase in pro –anorexia and pro – bulimia websites in between 2006 and 2007 alone, it is clear that action is required.

The Contra –ana Campaign Group declares that, in order to protect the most substantial group of individuals becoming anorexic, the adolescents, an attempt must be made to stop the vast growth of this eating disorder by warning people before entering an anorexia stimulating website, and stating that the webpage should not be accessed by under aged people. MP’s in other countries within the EU, such as France have already began to take action against such websites, introducing a fine to any websites that promote this sort of material.

We write to you today as one of the UK’s top webhosts to consider the points we have raised and take action against these websites by alarming people that are about to enter a pro-anorexia webpage about the dangerous content of the website, advising under aged visitors to refrain from entering the pro-anorexia webpage, and showing a link to an official pro-recovery website.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for any further information. We look forward to hearing your response.

Kind regards,

Contra – ana Campaign Group