TikTok is a goldmine for the coolest dancing trends, but it's also a platform that lets you see the dark side of eating. The ByteDance-owned app now deletes search results for the hashtag #SkinnyTok, a hashtag long used by videos that critics argue promote unhealthy eating and unattainable physical ideals.
With the algorithm enticing fans to click videos about "thinspiration" trend, their mental health might be affected. This is the reason why regulators blocked the harmful trends.
France Leads the Fight Against Harmful TikTok Trends
France's Minister of State for Digital Affairs, Clara Chappaz, has also been open in her criticism of TikTok's approach to weight content.
From April onwards, Chappaz has been galvanizing support from both the French and European Union regulators to act against content that promotes extreme thinness.
"These videos promoting extreme thinness are revolting and absolutely unacceptable. Digital tools are marvelous in terms of progress and freedom, but badly used, they can shatter lives ... the social networks cannot escape their responsibility," Chappaz said.
Her campaign has put political pressure on sites such as TikTok to step up and take consistent action against toxic trends that can hurt mental health.
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TikTok's History with Content Moderation and Eating Disorders
This ban on #SkinnyTok is not TikTok's initial attempt at making the platform safer. As Engadget recalled, the company prohibited ads for fasting apps and weight loss pills in 2020. At that time, the video-sharing platform acted in response to criticism regarding toxic diet culture creeping into For You feeds.
The following year, TikTok collaborated with the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) to provide in-app resources for users struggling with body image concerns or eating disorder diagnoses.
The same year, TikTok began to revise its For You page algorithm to prevent users from being served up repetitive content around negative subjects, such as body shaming or extreme dieting.
While these steps are steps in the right direction, many experts feel that TikTok's actions still fall short and are frequently reactive, not proactive.
Experts Warn: Closing Off a Hashtag is Not Enough
Although blocking a certain hashtag like #SkinnyTok might look like a move in the right direction, critics are saying that it's not sufficient.
Many of its users are aware of how to circumvent filters and keep communicating similar content under different versions, such as misspelled words, emojis, or coded language.
This workaround behavior shows the cat-and-mouse game of online moderation, in which platforms are often at the mercy of users who actively work to defy limits. Consequently, dangerous content can continue to exist in different forms, even when particular tags or trends are censored.
If you find TikTok unhealthy to use anymore, you can use other alternatives, including Instagram, YouTube, and even Rednote, a Chinese social media app.
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