TikTok bans #SkinnyTok hashtag

TikTok is taking action against posts that depict the effects of disordered eating. Amid mounting pressure from regulators affiliated with the European Commission, the ByteDance-owned app has banned the #SkinnyTok hashtag, which was used to disseminate videos that perpetrate harmful beliefs about body image.

#SkinnyTok took off in April, when the namesake hashtag hosted thousands of videos that celebrated unrealistic and unhealthy female body standards. The #SkinnyTok clips heightened broader concerns regarding the social media industry’s deletrious effect on teen body image — a trend that can also be seen through the long-form popularity of diet pill and steroid-like drug videos.

It didn’t take long before #SkinnyTok drew scrutiny from regulatory bodies. Clara Chappaz, France’s Minister of State for Digital Affairs, brought the hashtag to the European Commission’s attention. Chappaz called #SkinnyTok “unacceptable” and urged the Commission to crack down on toxic body image beliefs.

TikTok quickly acquiesced to those demands. “[We] have blocked search results for #SkinnyTok since it has become linked to unhealthy weight loss content,” said TikTok spokesperson Paolo Ganino in a statement published on June 2. In a post on X, Chappaz cheered the move as a “collective victory.”

This is not the first time TikTok has taken action to curb controversial body image content. Two years ago, the app caused a stir among creators when it restricted videos that promoted semaglutide drugs like Ozempic as weight loss solutions

. YouTube has initiated similar crackdowns on its own platform, while companies like Meta and X have been criticized for relative inaction.

TikTok’s attempt to nix #SkinnyTok is a good step forward, but to fully address toxic body image standards and their effects on teenage users, the app has to do more. Playing whack-a-mole with dangerous hashtags is an imperfect solution. One idea would be to take a page out of YouTube’s book by tweaking recommendation algorithms to surface fewer videos that could be tied to disordered eating and related ills.

With a new lineup of features, TikTok is moving in the right direction. On Good Morning America, representatives for the app announced new self-care tools for the For You Page, including a topic manager, improved keyword filters, and an updated Safety Center guide. The popular app is becoming a healthier place to browse, even if it will take more work to reverse negative body standards.