Extreme weight loss, cosmetic surgery videos available for adolescents on Tiktok despite the guidelines, News themezone finds

News themezone easily discovered hundreds of extreme weight loss videos and cosmetic surgery with a simple search on Tiktok and available for a user under 18, in violation of the platform’s own policies, according to News themezone.

News themezone created a Tiktok account for a hypothetical 15 -year -old female user in the United States and discovered that at least hundreds of extreme videos of weight loss and cosmetic surgery could be searched and observed on the platform using the account.

Once the News themezone account interacted with a handful of these videos, content similar to the “for you” feeding account of Tiktok was recommended.

The search videos went from content with subtitles such as “nothing feels better than an empty stomach”, to videos of “what as in a day” that promote restrictive diets of 500 calories per day. The guidelines published by the US National Health Institutes. UU. They suggest that girls between the ages of 14 and 18 ingested between 1,800 and 2,400 calories per day.

Many of the videos promoted the types of thin body as aspiration objectives and included the “hard motivation” of the hashtag to boost the extreme weight loss advice.

Some of those videos included messages or slogans such as “skinny is a state symbol” and “every time you say no to food, you say yes to the skinny.”

The Tiktok community guidelines say that the platform only allows users over 18 to see the content that promotes restrictive and low -calorie diets, including videos that promote weight loss medications or idealize certain body types. The Chinese property platform also says that it prohibits users under 18 years of watching videos that promote cosmetic surgery without prior notice of risks, such as images of before and after, videos of surgical procedures and messages that discuss elective cosmetic surgery.

But News themezone found a variety of videos when entering basic search terms on the platform, such as “skinny”, “thin” and “low lime”, which promoted thin bodies as ideals, while pushing harmful behaviors of weight management. One of those video showed an image of a scale with a weight of 39.9 kg (88 pounds) along with a subtitle that said “weight loss” and the hashtag “ed”, which is a common abbreviation for the “eating disorder.”

Another graphic video with the subtitle “Ana gives wings” showed a series of models with outstanding bones and collar spines. The term “Ana” is an abbreviation for the anorexia of eating disorder.

In response to News themezone research, a Tiktok spokesman said Thursday that “it was based on a very limited sample size and does not reflect the experience of the vast majority of our community.”

“Tiktok does not allow the content that promotes disorderly feeding or extreme weight loss behaviors, and we work with health experts to provide support resources in the application when necessary,” said the spokesman.

The spokesman pointed out a study published in May from the University of Southern California, which found that the majority of the Tiktok eating content is an discussion among users about the recovery of such conditions.

However, the same study pointed out, the “double role of the platform in the harmful cultural norms challenging and potentially perpetuating them”, with respect to the perceptions of body image and eating disorders.

“We know that this is not a unique mistake from Tiktok and that children find this content on a scale,” said Gareth Hill, spokesman for the Molly Russell Foundation, a beneficial organization in the United Kingdom that works to prevent young people from committing self -destroyed.

“The question for Tiktok is, if this is not a representative, then why does this account have? [created by News themezone]which is the account of a child, this content has been shown in the first place, and then, why does it continue to be recommended? ”

News themezone also found a wide variety of videos available for the U-18 user that promotes the medication to lose weight Ozempic and several forms of cosmetic surgery. That included videos that appeared in the recommended food “for you”, which promotes cosmetic surgeries such as rhinoplasty, breast and liposuction increase.

In one case, a user who talks about his waist reduction surgery included an off voice that said: “I prefer to die hot than live ugly.”

A Tiktok spokesman refused to specifically comment on News themezone findings about cosmetic surgeries that are promoted to minor users.

Tiktok says he has taken a variety of measures in recent months to address criticism regarding the availability of extreme weight loss content on the platform. At the beginning of June, the platform suspended the search results of the #SKINNYTOK viral hashtag, after attracting criticism of health experts and European regulators. The hashtag had mainly associated with videos that promote extreme weight loss, calorie restriction and the negative conversation of the body, often presented as well -being councils.

A Tiktok spokesman also told News themezone on Thursday that searches for words or phrases like #anorexia would take users to relevant assistance, including the localized eating disorder line line, where they can access more information and support.

“I think we are understanding more and more about how this content appears and, therefore, even when it prohibits a particular hashtag, for example, not long ago until something similar jumps in its place,” Doreen Marshall, who directs the National Association of Food Disorders of the American Nunera. [NEDA]he told News themezone.

“This will be an evolving landscape both to create content guidelines, as well as for platforms themselves and, you know, although some progress has been made, it can be done more,” said Marshall.

Tiktok is not the only social networks platform that has faced criticism for the accessibility of extreme weight loss content.

In 2022, Reported 60 minutes In an internal document of the finish line that showed that the company was aware, through its own research, of content on its Instagram platform that promotes extreme weight loss and feeding of eating disorders in young people.

At that time, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, rejected the 60 -minute request for an interview, but its leader of global security, Antigone Davis, said: “We want adolescents to be safe online” and that Instagram does not “allow the content to promote self -injury or eating disorders.”

Last year, Reported 60 minutes That the YouTube video platform owned by Google, which is very popular among adolescents, was also serving extreme weight loss and eating disorder for children.

In response to that report, a YouTube representative said the platform “continually works with mental health experts to refine [its] Approach to content recommendations for adolescents. “

Available resources:

National Association of Food Disorders

If you or someone you know are experiencing concerns about body image or food behaviors, Neda has a free confidential tool and detection resources at www.nationioneatingdisorders.org

FEAST It is a non -profit organization that provides free support for caregivers with loved ones suffering from eating disorders.

• Social networks
• Food and drink
• Plastic surgery
• Tiktok
• Mental health
• Children