Social media platform TikTok has banned worldwide a popular hashtag linked to weight-loss videos following scrutiny from policymakers in Brussels and Paris.
The “SkinnyTok” trend saw TikTok in recent months flooded with videos showing emaciated young women promoting extreme diets and posting weight-loss tips. That grabbed the attention of both the European Commission and the French digital regulator Arcom.
“[We] have blocked search results for #skinnytok since it has become linked to unhealthy weight loss content,” TikTok spokesperson Paolo Ganino said in a statement Monday.
The move is part of a “regular review” of TikTok’s safety measures “to address evolving risks,” he said. Searching for the hashtag now leads to a link to mental health support.
France’s Digital Minister Clara Chappaz on Sunday celebrated what she described as a “collective victory” after nearly two months of lobbying that included support for a public petition and a meeting between Chappaz and TikTok officials in Dublin in early May.
Stating that “the fight to protect our children online doesn’t stop there,” Chappaz said: “I won’t give up. Banning social media before 15 is my priority.”
The protection of kids online is fast becoming a hot topic in Brussels as countries consider proposals for new EU rules to massively curb children’s social media use. Politicians have jumped on the SkinnyTok example to elevate their concerns.
The platform’s responsibilities for guarding against the harmful effects of the SkinnyTok hashtag were a feature of a Friday call between the EU’s Consumer Protection Commissioner Michael McGrath and TikTok CEO Shou Chew, according to a readout.
That comes as the EU continues a wider investigation into the platform’s algorithms under the bloc’s content moderation rulebook, the Digital Services Act.
“This is a live investigation which will take its course in the normal way but I felt it was important to reiterate the Commission’s strong stance on child protection,” McGrath said following Friday’s call.
In 2024 TikTok suspended and later withdrew the TikTok Lite reward program — which rewarded users for screen time — after concerns about its effect on mental health.
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