TikTok blocks searches for extreme thinness 'skinnytok' hashtag
TikTok is preventing users searching for "skinnytok" - a hashtag which critics say directs people towards content which "idolises extreme thinness."Content associated with the hashtag includes videos showing people's work-out routines or what they eat in a day. TikTok said it had "blocked search results for #skinnytok since it has become linked to unhealthy weight loss content."People using the hashtag will now be redirected to mental health support resources instead.
According to the US-based National Alliance for Eating Disorders, the skinnytok hashtag has more than half a million posts associated with it.It says the hashtag includes content such as low-calorie recipes which on the face of it appear to promote healthy lifestyle advice.But the organisation says, in reality, it "glorifies thinness and vilifies weight gain" and "promotes disordered eating behaviours."The trend has caused particular alarm in France, where experts have warned of how social media can push vulnerable young people towards developing eating disorders."The patients are completely indoctrinated -- and my 45-minute weekly consultation is no match for spending hours every day on TikTok," the nutritionist Carole Copti told the AFP news agency.The blocking of the hashtag has been celebrated by France's digital minister, who wrote on social media that "skinnytok is over" thanks to lobbying by European politicians. In its statement, TikTok said it regularly reviewed its safety measures to "address evolving risks"."We continue to restrict videos from teen accounts and provide health experts and information in TikTok Search," it added.It is not the first time TikTok has been forced to take action over content which raised body image concerns.In March, it blocked so-called "chubby filters" - a viral tool which made people appear overweight.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Nintendo Switch 2 – live updates on where to buy as stock sells out
A day after launch, the Nintendo Switch 2 has little stock in the UK. Consoles began quietly landing at shops yesterday morning, and now it's a race against the clock to secure one. Argos, Amazon, and Currys have completely run dry, as has ShopTo. Not only is there no same-day stock, it looks like there's almost no stock at all. The good news is that Nintendo has finally dropped some stock, and Very has a Mario Kart World bundle. EE and O2 have stock, but you have to have an existing contract with them. However, we've seen a lot of surprise stock drops over this console launch. While there's precious little stock at the moment, it's worth checking back every half hour or so in case there's any movement. Where to buy the Nintendo Switch right now Nintendo Switch 2 specs The Switch 2 might look familiar, but there's a lot going on underneath. It's powered by a new custom Nvidia chip, so games don't just load faster, they look better and run more smoothly. 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On top of that, loads of older Nintendo titles have been patched with free performance updates, and Wind Waker, F-Zero GX and Soul Calibur II are now available through the new Switch Online GameCube library. Here's our Nintendo Switch 2 review So, I've officially had 48 hours with the Nintendo Switch 2, and it's a definite step-up over the Nintendo Switch OLED. My colleague Jake Brigstock and I have been putting it through its paces. Here's our initial review – yes, you're getting two takes for the price of one. Nintendo Switch 2 review: What we like (and dislike) about the console After almost a decade's wait, the Nintendo Switch 2 is here Alex Lee6 June 2025 17:01 Here's where you can buy a Switch 2 right now You can still buy the Nintendo Switch 2 from a few places in the UK, but each option comes with a caveat. The My Nintendo Store has the console in stock now, though you'll need an active Switch Online membership to place an order. 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It won't be a fast delivery; the retailer says it expects stock between 10-16 June, and delivering your Switch 2 could take up to three working days after that. However, if you missed out on the console yesterday, this is a good bet. Buy now at Smyths Toys Alex Lee6 June 2025 11:57 Nintendo Switch 2 stock at O2 Huge thank you to reader Mark Brooker, who got in touch about some Nintendo Switch 2 stock at O2. It's unlike any of the stock we've seen so far. It's a Mario Kart World bundle and only for O2 customers. You have two options. You can either pay in full for £449.99 or spread the cost. If you spread the cost, it costs £110 up front, but you can pay as little as £9.44 a month at 0% APR. The catch? Delivery could take more than 4 weeks. Buy now at O2 Alex Lee6 June 2025 11:40 Stock just dropped at Very It's been quiet since 6am this morning, but Very just dropped stock. You can get a Nintendo Switch 2, Mario Kart World, and a Switch 2 Camera for £479. It will arrive on Friday 13 June. Buy now at Very Alex Lee6 June 2025 11:04 More detail on EE stock Right now, EE is the only place in the country you can buy a Switch 2. You have a few options: The first is the basic Mario Kart World bundle. You get a Nintendo Switch 2 console and, unsurprisingly, Mario Kart World. You also get a 12 month Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, so you can play online. This also gives you access to 170 old-school games from the NES, SNES, GameCube, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance and Sega Genesis. It costs £22 a month for £24 months, and you have to pay £20 upfront today. Buy now at EE The other option is more expensive, but you get a lot more. As well as the Nintendo Switch 2 console Mario Kart World, and Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, you get some hardware. You also get a Nintendo Switch camera for online gaming. That bundle costs £25 monthly for 24 months, and you have to pay £20 upfront. 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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
The Guide #194: Six things you need to know about the Nintendo Switch 2
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But thanks to David Lean, Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Freddie Young's iconic cinematography and Maurice Jarre's unforgettable score, it beats everything else hands down. @ me if you like but you will never change my mind.' – Sharon Eckman Prompted by Turnstile, this week we're after songs that you can't help but headbang to. Which tracks have you starting a one-person mosh pit in the living room when they come on? Let us know your choice by contacting Gwilym on
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Subtle warning signs of 'silent disease' 16m Americans are living with and don't know
Nearly 16 million people have the most deadly type of liver disease, yet 80 percent of them have no idea. About five percent of adults worldwide have metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) a serious liver condition caused by fat buildup, inflammation, and scarring. It's the most dangerous type of fatty liver disease MASH triggers liver scarring, which can progress to cirrhosis, and significantly increases the risk of heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and liver cancer. Just one in five Americans with the condition are actually diagnosed. Most patients do not experience symptoms until the damage is irreversible, making it a 'silent disease'. However, as the condition progresses, individuals may experience fatigue, pain or discomfort in the upper right belly, unexplained weight loss, weakness, and in some cases, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes). A coalition of researchers from the US, Europe, and South Africa said that MASH-related liver failure and other complications, including deaths, are becoming more severe and common. The scientists behind the report, published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe, are calling for a doubling in MASH diagnosis rates from the 2022 level, about 13 percent (the current rate is just under 20 percent). They estimated that about 2.6 million people in the US, UK, Germany, and France have been diagnosed with MASH. But if testing were adequately improved and scaled up to become more accessible and commonplace, that figure could balloon to 6.1 million. People with type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease should be prioritized for blood work and other screening tests, which will need to skyrocket from about two million to 36 million. Follow-up testing also needs to jump by nearly 1,300 percent to meet patient needs, and in more settings than liver clinics, such as family doctors' offices, and with diabetes and heart doctors. People with diabetes are especially prone to liver damage leading to MASH. Around 30 to 60 percent of diabetics also have MASH. Obesity is another leading risk factor, with estimates suggesting that 75 percent of overweight people and 90 percent with obesity will develop the condition. People with MASH also have a tripled risk of also developing heart disease, including coronary artery disease, stroke, and heart failure, compared to people without the condition. MASH diagnosis is poised for a major shift, mirroring past breakthroughs in chronic disease management. With new treatments approved and others on the horizon, the focus now turns to fixing systemic roadblocks. Currently, limited access to non-invasive tests and reliance on specialists leave most cases undetected until late stages. MASH arises from a cascade of liver damage typically linked to a buildup of fat in the liver, which triggers inflammation that damages liver cells and activates scar-forming cells. What was once healthy liver tissue becomes stiff, progressively crippling the liver's ability to detoxify blood. Though this is often painless until the damage becomes too severe to be reversed. If caught early, people can live normal lifespans with MASH. Lifestyle changes - eating a healthier diet, exercising regularly, and losing between five and 10 percent of one's body weight - can slow down the progression of MASH and repair some of the damage. Doctors may prescribe resmetirom, the first FDA-approved medication for MASH, to work hand-in-hand with those lifestyle changes. But severe damage can cause deadly conditions that cut a person's life drastically short. 'Each late-stage MASH diagnosis represents a missed opportunity for earlier intervention to prevent disease progression, threatening worse [liver] and [non-liver] outcomes for people living with the condition and greater costs for individuals, health systems, and societies,' researchers told a Barcelona medical conference this week. The solution requires concrete changes from moving diagnostics to implementing automated tools in electronic records. The researchers said that success in improving diagnostics goes beyond devising better tests. A fundamental reworking of methods of care is needed that catches at-risk patients before irreversible damage occurs. 'Paradigm shifts do not occur in a vacuum, but arise when leaps in science, technology, and innovation are coupled with changes in perception and understanding within a community,' they said. 'A confluence of factors in 2024 and expected drug approvals in many European countries in 2025 point to a near term tipping point for MASH diagnoses; nonetheless, focused and sustained efforts are needed to turn such opportunities into reality.'
