TikTok failing to shield kids from extreme weight loss content
CBS News created a TikTok account for a hypothetical 15-year-old female user in the United States and found that, at the very least, hundreds of extreme weight loss and cosmetic surgery videos were searchable and watchable on the platform using the account.
Once the CBS News account interacted with a handful of these videos, similar content was then recommended to the account on TikTok's "For You" feed.
Searchable videos ranged from content with captions such as, "nothing feels better than an empty stomach," to "what I eat in a day" videos promoting restrictive, 500-calorie-per-day diets. Guidelines published by the U.S. National Institutes of Health suggest that girls between the ages of 14 and 18 ingest between 1,800 and 2,400 calories per day.
Many of the videos promoted thin body types as aspirational targets and included the hashtag "harsh motivation" to push extreme weight loss advice.
Some of those videos included messages or slogans such as "skinny is a status symbol," and "every time you say no to food, you say yes to skinny."
TikTok's own community guidelines say the platform only allows users over the age of 18 to see content promoting restrictive, low-calorie diets, including videos promoting medications for weight loss or idealizing certain body types. The Chinese-owned platform also says it bans users under the age of 18 from viewing videos that promote cosmetic surgery without warning of the risks, such as before-and-after images, videos of surgical procedures, and messages discussing elective cosmetic surgery.
But CBS News found a range of videos by entering basic search terms on the platform, such as "skinny," "thin," and "low cal," that promoted thin bodies as ideal, while also pushing harmful weight management behaviors. One such video showed an image of a scale with a weight of 39.9 kg (88 pounds) alongside a caption saying "weight loss" and the hashtag "ed," which is a common abbreviation for "eating disorder."
Another graphic video with the caption "ana gives you wings" showed a series of models with protruding collar bones and spines. The term 'ana' is an abbreviation for the eating disorder anorexia.
Responding to CBS News' research, a TikTok spokesperson said Thursday that it was "based on a very limited sample size and does not reflect the experience of the vast majority of our community."
"TikTok does not allow content that promotes disordered eating or extreme weight loss behaviours, and we work with health experts to provide in-app support resources where needed," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson pointed to a study published in May by the University of Southern California, which found that a majority of the eating disorder content on TikTok is discussion among users about recovery from such conditions.
The same study noted, however, the platform's "dual role in both challenging harmful cultural norms and potentially perpetuating them," regarding body image perceptions and eating disorders.
"We know that this isn't a one-off error on TikTok's part and that children are coming across this content on a scale," said Gareth Hill, a spokesperson for the Molly Russell foundation, a U.K. charity that works to prevent young people from committing self-harm.
"The question for TikTok is, if this is not representative, then why has this account [created by CBS News], which is a child's account, been shown this content in the first place, and then why is it continuing to get recommended to it?"
CBS News also found a wide variety of videos available to the under 18 user promoting the weight loss drug Ozempic and various forms of cosmetic surgery. That included videos that showed up on the recommended "For You" feed, which promotes cosmetic surgeries such as rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, and liposuctions.
In one case, a user talking about their waist reduction surgery included a voiceover saying: "I would rather die hot than live ugly."
A TikTok spokesperson declined to comment specifically on CBS News' findings regarding cosmetic surgeries being promoted to underage users.
TikTok says it has taken a range of measures over the past several months to address criticism regarding the availability of extreme weight loss content on the platform. In early June, the platform suspended search results for the viral hashtag #SkinnyTok, after drawing criticism from health experts and European regulators. The hashtag had been associated primarily with videos promoting extreme weight loss, calorie restriction and negative body talk, often presented as wellness advice.
A TikTok spokesperson also told CBS News on Thursday that searches for words or phrases such as #Anorexia would lead users to relevant assistance, including localized eating disorder helplines, where they can access further information and support.
"I think we're understanding more and more about how this content shows up and so even when you ban a particular hashtag, for example, it's not long until something similar jumps up in its place," Doreen Marshall, who leads the American nonprofit National Eating Disorders Association [NEDA], told CBS News.
"This is going to be an evolving landscape both for creating content guidelines, but also for the platforms themselves and, you know, while some progress has been made, there's clearly more that can be done," Marshall said.
TikTok is not the only social media platform which has faced criticism for the accessibility of extreme weight loss content.
In 2022, 60 Minutes reported on a leaked internal document from Meta that showed the company was aware through its own research of content on its Instagram platform promoting extreme weight loss and fueling eating disorders in young people.
At the time, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, declined 60 Minutes' request for an interview, but its global head of safety Antigone Davis said, "we want teens to be safe online" and that Instagram doesn't "allow content promoting self-harm or eating disorders."
Last year, 60 Minutes reported that the Google-owned YouTube video platform, which is hugely popular among teenagers, was also serving up extreme weight loss and eating disorder content to children.
Responding to that report, a YouTube representative said the platform "continually works with mental health experts to refine [its] approach to content recommendations for teens."
Available resources:
National Eating Disorder Association
If you or someone you know is struggling with body image or eating concerns, the NEDA toll free and confidential helpline is available by phone or text at 1-800-931-2237 or by click-to-chat message at nationaleatingdisorders.org/helpline. For 24/7 crisis support, text "NEDA" to 741-741.
F.E.A.S.T. is a nonprofit organization providing free support for caregivers with loved ones suffering from eating disorders.
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