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Popular short-form video platform TikTok has blocked searches for ‘skinnytok’ in an effort to reduce the popularity of potentially harmful content. The social media app is notorious for cultivating niche communities based on negative subject matter.
TikTok has blocked users from searching for ‘skinnytok,’ a trending term that directs people toward content promoting unhealthy eating habits and disorders.
People who use the hashtag will now be directed to mental health support pages as a replacement, and videos posted with the term will not appear. In a statement, TikTok acknowledged that the phrase had ‘become linked to unhealthy weight loss content.’
However, while this might be a step in the right direction, it’s unlikely to stamp out these videos permanently, as creators often find ways around content filters.
Terms like ‘unalive’ and ‘corn’ have become synonymous with content that discusses mental health issues and sexually explicit material, for example, as these are not picked up by the platform’s automatic censoring systems. The same is likely to happy with eating disorder videos.
Speaking to the BBC, Tom Quinn from eating disorder charity Beat shared this sentiment.
‘We know that users will very often find workarounds,’ they said. ‘There will still be damaging content which isn’t shared under the “skinnytok” umbrella. TikTok and other social media platforms must address this.’
There are reportedly over half a million posts currently on TikTok that use the ‘skinnytok’ hashtag.
Many videos promote ‘low-calorie meals’ and exercise regimes that appear to boost healthy living and mindfulness, though in actuality this content often glorifies weight loss and shames bigger bodies.
TikTok is particularly notorious for allowing communities to build around negative ideas and harmful practices. As the platform is so popular and fast-paced, keeping track of content that could be damaging is practically impossible, especially as Gen Z are its primary audience.
Misinformation has been rampant over the years. The app caused controversy in 2021 when it was found to be showing anti-vaccine content to children, for example.
