TikTok Has Banned the #SkinnyTok Hashtag
#SkinnyTok, the hashtag known for promoting extreme weight-loss methods on social media, is no more — at least not on TikTok.
Following an investigation from European Union regulators, the platform has removed results for the hashtag, according to the New York Times. When you search for the phrase “SkinnyTok” on TikTok, you no longer see any videos — just a link to support resources for those struggling with “body image, food, or exercise,” as well as the phone number for the National Alliance for Eating Disorders.
A spokesperson for TikTok told the Cut, “We regularly review our safety measures to address evolving risks and have blocked search results for #SkinnyTok since it has become linked to unhealthy weight loss content.” The platform did not specify what prompted the hashtag’s removal or when it went into effect, but the spokesperson pointed out TikTok started taking more aggressive action around SkinnyTok content in recent months, including restricting such videos to users over 18 and attempting to limit search suggestions.
European Union regulators have pushed for TikTok to crack down on SkinnyTok content out of concern that the videos promote eating disorders among young users. Clara Chappaz, France’s digital-technology minister, has been particularly vocal in her criticism of such content, meeting with TikTok officials at their Dublin office last month. In April, Politico reports, she posted a video about SkinnyTok in which she said, “These videos promote extreme thinness. Protecting minors online is one of my priorities.”
TikTok’s user guidelines ostensibly restrict content that promotes eating disorders. But before TikTok’s policy change, many SkinnyTok videos fell through the cracks, despite using language and imagery that glamorized disordered eating and promoted potentially dangerous diet and exercise tips, including eating very little or chugging water to feel full between meals.
Last year, TikTok attracted scrutiny for hosting popular SkinnyTok influencers like Liv Schmidt, a New York City–based model who promoted dangerously low-calorie diets in her content. After a Wall Street Journal reporter sought comment for a story about Schmidt, TikTok removed her from the platform, though plenty of other weight-loss influencers continued to feature the hashtag in their content. (Schmidt subsequently moved over to Instagram, though the platform revoked her ability to monetize her content after the Cut investigated her subscriber-only group.)
In an X post last Sunday, translated from the original French, Chappaz confirmed that TikTok had removed the “unacceptable” hashtag from its platform. She celebrated the move, referring to it as a “collective victory.” “SkinnyTok is OVER,” she wrote.
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