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Eve Jones took the difficult decision to remove TikTok from her life in order to protect her health and avoid a potential relapse into her battle with anorexia. The flood of content on “skinnytok,” a controversial side of social media promoting weight loss tips through restrictive eating, was triggering for Eve and detrimental to her well-being. Despite TikTok blocking the search for the term, Eve felt that the issue runs deeper than just one hashtag and that people can easily find a way around the restrictions.
The influence of “skinnytok” and the resurfacing of diet culture reminiscent of the early 2000s have created a toxic environment online, with damaging messages promoting extreme weight loss under the guise of self-control and willpower. Eve recognized the danger in such content and made the decision to distance herself from the platform to protect her mental health and avoid falling back into destructive eating habits. She highlighted the ease with which damaging content can still be accessed even after certain words have been blocked from feeds.
Tilly Short, a champion of body positivity, also expressed concern about the pressure and damaging messages present on social media platforms. She emphasized the importance of taking content creators’ qualifications into account and warned against blindly following advice from unqualified individuals. Research has shown that young people using social media are at risk of developing image concerns, eating disorders, and poor mental health, emphasizing the need for better monitoring of content and increased awareness of the impact of social media on mental well-being.
Beat spokesman Tom Quinn praised the ban of “skinnytok” but urged social media platforms to do more to ensure the complete removal of harmful content. He acknowledged that while social media may not be the sole cause of eating disorders, it can exacerbate issues for those already at risk. TikTok stated that it has strict rules against body shaming and dangerous weight loss behaviors and continues to review its safety measures to address evolving risks. Despite these efforts, the prevalence of damaging content online remains a pressing concern for the well-being of users, especially vulnerable individuals
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