London Daily

Focus on the big picture.

Views on TikTok hashtags hosting eating disorder content continue to climb, research says

Views on TikTok hashtags hosting eating disorder content continue to climb, research says

New analysis from the Centre for Countering Digital Hate found that views on TikTok content using hashtags it previously identified as hosting eating-disorder material grew by 1.6 billion from November to January. But TikTok says it has removed harmful content.

TikTok videos using hashtags previously identified as hosting eating-disorder content are continuing to attract views, new research by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate has found.

A December report by the campaign group identified "coded" hashtags where users could access potentially harmful videos promoting restrictive diets and so-called "thinspo" content, designed to encourage harmful weight loss.

New analysis of those hashtags by the organisation found that since the study, just seven had been removed from the platform and only three carried a health warning on the UK version of the app.

But TikTok said it had removed content which violates its rules, which do not allow the promotion or glorification of eating disorders.

The Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) said the hashtags it found still on the platform had amassed 1.6 billion more views, which the UK's leading eating disorder charity Beat has called "extremely concerning".

"There is no excuse for harmful hashtags and videos being on TikTok in the first place," Andrew Radford, Beat's Chief Executive said.

"The company should immediately identify and remove damaging content as soon as it is uploaded," he told Sky News.

Content warning: this article contains references to eating disorders.

TikTok's community guidelines restrict eating disorder-related content on its platform and this includes hashtags explicitly associated with it.

But users will often make subtle edits to terminology so they can continue posting potentially harmful material about eating disorders without being spotted by TikTok's moderators.

'Coded' language to avoid detection

In its December report, the CCDH identified 56 TikTok hashtags using "coded" language, under which it found potentially harmful eating disorder content.

The CCDH also found 35 of the hashtags contained a high concentration of pro-eating disorder videos, while it said 21 contained a mix of harmful content and healthy discussion.

Among the material found in both categories were videos promoting unhealthy weight loss, restrictive diets and "thinspo".

In November, the views across these hashtags stood at 13.2 billion. When CCDH reviewed them in January, it found that the number of views on videos using the hashtags had grown to more than 14.8 billion.

Since the original study, CCDH says seven of the hashtags it identified had been removed from the platform altogether.

Four of those hosted predominantly pro-eating disorder content, while three contained both positive and harmful videos.

In the review, the CCDH found when accessed by US users, 37 of the hashtags they identified carried a safety warning directing users to the US's leading eating disorder charity.

However, the same review found that for UK users, just three of those hashtags carry the same kind of warning.

Centre for Countering Digital Hate found 56 hashtags associated with eating disorder content. 35 of those contained a high concentration of pro-eating disorder content.
'Outcry' by parents

"TikTok is clearly capable of adding warnings to English language content that might harm but is choosing not to implement this for English language content in the UK," said Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate.

"There can be no clearer example of the way the enforcement of purportedly universal rules of these platforms are actually implemented partially, selectively, and only when platforms feel under real pressure by governments," he told Sky News.

The new research also indicates that most of the people accessing material under these hashtags are young.

Using TikTok's own data analytics tool, CCDH found that 91% of views on 21 of the hashtags came from users under the age of 24. This tool, however, is limited as TikTok does not include data for any users under the age of 18.

"Despite an outcry from parents, politicians and the general public, three months later this content continues to grow and spread unchecked," Mr Ahmed added.

"Every view represents a potential victim - someone whose mental health might be harmed by negative body image content, someone who might start restricting their diet to dangerously low levels," he said.

Following CCDH's findings, a group of charities - including the NSPCC, the Molly Russell Foundation and the US and UK arms of the American Psychological Foundation - have called on TikTok to improve its moderation policies in a letter to its head of safety, Eric Han.

Responding to the findings, a spokesperson for TikTok said: "Our community guidelines are clear that we do not allow the promotion, normalisation or glorification of eating disorders, and we have removed content mentioned in this report that violates these rules.

"We are open to feedback and scrutiny, and we seek to engage constructively with partners who have expertise on these complex issues, as we do with NGOs in the US and UK."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Prince William to End Feudal Land Restrictions in Duchy of Cornwall, but Controversies Remain
British police appear unprepared to deal with usual suspects
Russia's Ballistic Blitz on Kyiv Sends Shockwaves Through Global Stability
Multiple Tragedies and Tensions Mark Global Events: A Closer Look
Elon Musk's AfD Endorsement Ignites Controversy from neo-Nazis who accuse the AfD of being what they themselves are
Ukraine Claims Unprecedented Russian Losses: The Truth Behind Wartime Statistics
Federal Reserve Chair Powell: "We are prohibited from owning Bitcoin and are not seeking any changes to that law."
A Democratic congresswoman with blue and black hair is having a meltdown over "President Musk."
A sizable group of unauthorized migrants is traveling through Mexico with the aim of reaching the USA before Trump assumes office.
Beatles Reunion Electrifies London: Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr Ignite O2 Arena with Surprise Performance
Starmer's Envoy Engages Trump Team as UK Seeks Strategic U.S. Partnership
Britain's Retail Rebound Falters as Black Friday Splurge Dissipates
Bank of Japan's Bold Reckoning: A Decade of Unconventional Policy Under Scrutiny
Republican Discord Threatens Government Shutdown Amid Holiday Season
French Retiree Dominique Pellico Convicted for Recruiting 72 Men to Assault Wife Over a Decade
Putin Defends War Strategy as Global Tensions Rise
Putin Claims Progress as Tensions Rise: Conflict in Ukraine Intensifies
Putin's Paradox: Claiming Strength Amidst Sanctions and Isolation
Water as a Weapon: The Contentious Struggle for Survival in Gaza
Syria's Future: A Fight for Democracy or Another Cycle of Oppression?
UK Considers Sending Troops to Ukraine: A Strategic Move or Intensifying The Proxy War?
Renewed ISIS Threat Puts Syria’s Cultural Heritage in Peril
Escalation in Moscow: High-Profile Assassination and International Tensions Intensify
North Korean Troops in Ukraine: A New Cold War Frontier?
Ukraine's Bold Move: High-Stakes Assassination of Russian General in Moscow
Dubai's Technological Leap: Brain Chips and AI Board Members by 2025
Tragedy Strikes Wisconsin School as Shooting Claims Lives of Teacher and Student
UK's Calculated Gamble: Balancing Defense Aid to Ukraine and Domestic Demands
UK Intensifies Stranglehold on Russian Oil, but Does It Dampen Putin’s Resolve?
British Voter Endorsement of Reeves's Bold Tax Strategy
Nicola Sturgeon Warns of 'Toxic' Discourse: The Perils of Polarisation in Modern Politics
Levelling Down: How the Conservatives Underspent on Regional Revitalization
Alleged Chinese Espionage: The Entangled Web Beyond Prince Andrew
Starmer Navigates Diplomatic Tightrope Amid Chinese Espionage Revelations Involving Prince Andrew
Balancing Democracy and Disorder: The Trial of a Milkshake Incident
Royal Mail Enters New Chapter Under Czech Ownership
UK Companies Slash Jobs Amid Economic Strain
Kemi Badenoch Rekindles Flat Tax Debate Amid Inheritance Tax Uproar
Rewiring Whitehall: New Cabinet Secretary's Mandate for Change
Legal Battle Revives: Lucy Letby Seeks Fresh Appeal as Expert Evidence Faces Scrutiny
Accusations Fly as UK-China Relations Spark Tension Within British Politics
The Delicate Dance of Devolution: As English Council Elections Face Delays
The Alleged Chinese Spy at the Heart of British Royal Circles: Yang Tengbo Unmasked
Prince Andrew Withdraws from Royal Christmas Amidst Chinese Espionage Scandal
EU Takes Legal Action Against UK Over Allegedly Neglected Rights of EU Citizens
Disaster Strikes: Oil Spill in the Black Sea and Cyclone Devastation in Mayotte
Oil Tanker Disaster in the Kerch Strait: A Confluence of Environmental Catastrophe and Geopolitical Tensions
Olaf Scholz’s Gamble: The Collapse of Germany’s Coalition Government and the Path to Early Elections
Keir Starmer's 'Sycophantic' Tone: Tensions Rise Over UK-China Relations
Trump Recognizes Partial Advances in Ceasefire Attempts in Ukraine Conflict
×