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New research reveals that YouTube continues to recommend videos related to eating disorders to teenage users, despite the platform implementing new policies aimed at reducing harmful content over the past year. The Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) conducted an experiment by creating a simulated profile of a 13-year-old girl who was exposed to risky diet and body image videos. Their analysis showed that about 10% of the videos suggested next by YouTube’s algorithm contained problematic material such as thinspiration and extreme calorie restriction. Although this is an improvement compared to similar research from two years prior, the problem persists.
Google, the owner of YouTube, emphasized its strong commitment to curbing the spread of damaging content, noting that the specific videos mentioned in the report have now been removed. The findings of this study come shortly after Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulator, criticized YouTube and TikTok for not doing enough to safeguard young people online and called for tougher safety measures. In response to growing concerns, the UK government introduced a significant provision under the Online Safety Act in July 2025, mandating that platforms protect minors from harmful content. This legislation requires companies to address how their recommendation algorithms might negatively impact children and to minimize these risks. Failure to comply can result in fines of up to 10% of a company’s global revenue.
The CCDH’s experiment replicated viewing behavior by having their simulated accounts watch potentially harmful content focused on dieting and body image. After this initial viewing, they examined YouTube’s next 100 recommended videos. In 2026, harmful eating disorder-related videos appeared in one out of every ten recommendations, down from one in four in 2024. Similar patterns were found in tests conducted with profiles representing teens from the US and the EU. Alexandra Johnson, senior research manager at CCDH, acknowledged some progress due to regulation but stated, “One video is too many and we don’t want any of this content to get through, particularly to vulnerable users, where just a small algorithmic nudge can be enough to push them into a very dangerous situation.”
Personal testimony puts a human face on the issue. Jazmin Kaur, 22, from Leicester, shared her experience of being diagnosed with anorexia at 13 and undergoing treatment for six years. Jazmin explained how social media initially seemed helpful for fitness and health advice but ultimately exposed her to extreme and harmful content that worsened her condition. She noted, “Every time I left hospital, I’d have my phone with me and I’d constantly be on it,” and that she consumed “such extreme content towards the end that I took it for my own vulnerabilities.” After her negative experiences, she decided to delete her social media accounts while at university. Jazmin now studies for a master’s degree in pediatric nursing and also works in adult mental health.
Experts highlight the complexity of the connection between social media and eating disorders. Victoria Longley, chief executive of the eating disorder charity Beat, explained that positive online communities can help reduce isolation, especially when access to NHS treatment is limited. However, she also said that roughly 90% of people the charity supports report encountering harmful online material. Beat recommends that users turn off notifications, use time-limiting apps, and employ platform tools to block or report damaging accounts. Nonetheless, Longley emphasized that the ultimate responsibility to create safe online environments rests with the social media companies themselves. The UK government has announced plans to restrict access for under-16s to major platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and X, with these measures expected to take effect in spring 2027
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