TikTok works with the National Eating Disorders Association to provide educational resources for users and restrict ads for fasting apps and weight loss supplements, she added. n6UefYIeiG- leandream October 12, 2021Ī spokeswoman for TikTok said the platform works to balance censorship of problematic content with efforts to encourage content that is related to prevention of eating disorders, avoiding removal of some eating disorder hashtags that may be used for educational purposes. “We need to make sure this is meaningfully dealt with, and that means not allowing any of this content on the platform.” “When you’re dealing with a really young and impressionable user base, there is not room for half measures,” Todd said. The organization has also called on TikTok to remove all advertisement of weight loss and diet supplement products, and asked it to prevent loopholes for disordered eating hashtags and provide resources from accredited medical and nutrition boards on potentially inflammatory content. UltraViolet has launched a petition that has garnered more than 2,000 signatures calling on TikTok to disable such filters on the accounts of teens. “This contributes to creating an impossible standard of beauty,” she said. While both Snapchat and Instagram have said they won’t allow filters that promote or mimic plastic surgery, TikTok has dozens of beauty filters that let young girls change their skin, face shape, body shape and more. Todd said TikTok’s use of augmented reality camera filters can also contribute to negative body image, especially for young girls. The popular hashtag #WhatIEatInADay, for example, soon led to #ketodiet videos – then more restrictive diets and eventually overtly unhealthy hashtags such as #Iwillbeskinny and #thinspoa. One experiment by the Lowy Institute found, for example, that TikTok’s politically neutral feed turned conservative and far-right in just a day of looping, liking and sharing certain content.Įfforts by the Guardian to engage with diet content led to full-blown eating disorder promotion in less than 24 hours. TikTok’s “For You” page, a feed of videos from accounts users may not even follow that is recommended by an algorithm based on viewing history, makes it possible for problematic content to start “trending” with little friction. TikTok-specific features have prompted a number of concerns unique to the platform, research from UltraViolet found. The video app surpassed 1 billion active monthly users in September, 60% of whom are between the ages of 16 and 24. Todd said that TikTok, compared with Instagram, may actually be “more dangerous” because of the demographics of its users. “Everybody knows that Facebook and Instagram have a huge potential for harm when it comes to younger audiences, but we are not talking enough about the dangers of these newer platforms,” she added. “TikTok as a platform is flying under the radar right now,” said Bridget Todd, a spokesperson for UltraViolet, a women’s advocacy group. The simple hashtag #skinny has 1.7bn views and leads to a number of weight loss videos. Other seemingly innocuous hashtags such as #caloriedefecitsnacks and #weightlossprogress are rife with problematic content encouraging users to restrict and count calories. TikTok’s own search feature suggested some of the popular hashtags used to get around its censorship, prompting the user to search “thinspao” if they simply type “thin” into the search bar. For example, after the platform banned the hashtag thinspo – short for “thinspiration” – users began using #thinspao and #thinsrpø. In addition, many users appeared to intentionally misspell popular hashtags promoting unhealthy eating after they are banned to get around the new regulations. More than a month later, they were still active on TikTok.Īn additional 11 hashtags relating to disordered eating content that were not on Instagram were also operational on the platform, including #skinnycheck with 1m views, #size0 with 1.4m views, and #thighgapworkout with 2.6m views. The platform in 2020 imposed additional restrictions on weight-loss ads after facing criticism for promoting dangerous diets, and in March launched a program to connect users who search hashtags related to eating disorders with a helpline.īut at least two dozen problematic hashtags have managed to slip through the cracks, the Guardian found.įourteen of those hashtags were part of a set of 22 identified by the advocacy group SumOfUs in September as promoting eating disorders on Instagram. TikTok officially does not allow content promoting or glorifying eating disorders, and enforces such a ban through human and AI moderation.
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