Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Apr 22, 2025

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

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Nightlife in the streets of Manchester
In God We Profit
Cultural Battles in the Vatican: The Candidates in the Battle for the Holy See and Pope Francis's Testament
Global Leaders Pay Tribute to Pope Francis Following His Death
Wild Chimpanzees Observed Bonding Over Alcoholic Fruit
US Federal Reserve Chair Issues Warning on Tariff Impact
UK Prison Officers Demand Electric Stun Guns Amid Safety Concerns
China, China, China!
Australian National Charged as Mercenary for Fighting in Ukraine
Israel Considers Limited Strikes on Iran's Nuclear Facilities Amid Diplomatic Efforts
Prince Andrew Joins Royal Family Attends Easter Sunday Service at Windsor Castle
Saudi Arabia Offers Max Verstappen Unprecedented Deal to Join Aston Martin
Global Pistachio Shortage Amid Rising Demand for 'Dubai Chocolate'
Trump is assembling a coalition of Western leaders aligned with the MAGA vision, strengthening a unified front for global change
IMF Predicts No Global Recession Amid Trade Tensions
Here’s a police officer with a brilliant gift for swift education
"Some complain that we put thousands in prison. In reality, we set millions free."
This is Vienna, Austria in 2025.
Boeing Jet Returns to US from China Amid Tariff War
Canadian Federal Election: Candidates' Positions on US-Canada Relations and Donald Trump
Resentencing Hearing for Menendez Brothers Who Killed Their Parents Delayed Amid Legal Disputes
Australian Woman Gives Birth To Stranger's Baby In IVF Mix-up
US Sets Deadline for Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal Brokerage
Italy Introduces 'Sex Rooms' in Prisons for Inmates
California Launches Legal Challenge Against Trump Administration's Tariffs
"Groundless": China Dismisses Zelensky's Claims It's Supplying Arms To Russia
UK Psytrance Festival Cancelled Amid Local Protests Over Noise Concerns
French Far-Right Writer Renaud Camus Denied Entry to UK
UK Police Force Updates Search Policy for Trans Individuals in Custody
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Meets with Donald Trump to Discuss EU-US Trade Tensions
Canada's Federal Party Leaders Engage in Final Debate Ahead of General Election
Ukraine and US Sign Outline of Minerals Deal
Fast Food Chain Refuses to Apologize for Online Comment About Katy Perry's Space Voyage
New York Attorney General Letitia James Faces Criminal Referral for Alleged Mortgage Fraud
Mark Cuban admits support for Trump executive order: ‘Gotta be honest’
US Senator Meets with Deported Immigrant in El Salvador Amid Custody Dispute
U.S. State Department Raises El Salvador’s Safety Ranking, Making It Safer Than France and Other European Nations
UK Government Assumes Control of British Steel's Scunthorpe Plant Amid Shutdown Threat
UK MP Wera Hobhouse Denied Entry to Hong Kong During Family Visit
Bangladesh Issues Arrest Warrant for UK MP Tulip Siddiq
China Urges United States to Cancel Tariffs Amid Escalating Trade Tensions
The Empire’s USD Pyramid Scheme Is Working Brilliantly—So Why ‘Fix’ It?
China Raises Tariffs on U.S. Goods to 125% Amid Escalating Trade Dispute
Elon Musk Reports $150 Billion in Projected Government Savings Amid Fraud Investigations
U.S. and Panama Finalize Defense Agreements Amid Canal Access and Chinese Influence Concerns
China Stands Firm Amidst Trade Disputes with the US: A Factual Analysis
U.S. Tariff Escalation Sparks Global Trade Tensions
Helicopter crashes in NYC with four people on board.
Australia Dismisses China's Suggestion to Collaborate Against US Tariffs
EU Postpones Response to US Tariffs
×