By William 
TikTok’s recent decision to ban the hashtag #SkinnyTok marks a milestone in the ongoing fight against harmful online diet narratives. On the surface, it seems like a clear positive: a major platform stepping up to protect users, especially teens, from content that promotes extreme thinness. But many experts caution that this ban might just be the first step in a much deeper and more complex journey toward truly changing online culture.
Here’s a closer look at what sparked the ban, why it matters, and whether it’s enough.
#SkinnyTok emerged early this year and quickly became a hotspot for content that glorified unhealthy weight loss, extreme dieting, and thinness as a virtue. Influencers posted “what I eat in a day” videos showcasing extremely low-calorie meals, relentless exercise routines, and repetitive body-check videos. These posts often shamed normal bodies and framed hunger as an achievement, wrapped in aesthetic, wellness-friendly packaging.
At its peak, more than 74 000 videos carried the hashtag, with many reaching millions of views. Leading figures like Liv Schmidt—later removed from the platform—used #SkinnyTok to share extremist tips, often disguised as lifestyle content.
The move to ban #SkinnyTok didn’t happen in a vacuum. Pressure came from regulators in Europe, especially France’s digital minister, who called the trend “revolting and absolutely unacceptable.” The European Commission launched investigations into the risk it posed to young people.
Under scrutiny, TikTok redirected searches for #SkinnyTok to mental health resources—NEDA in the US, Butterfly Foundation in Australia—as part of its commitment to curb disordered eating content.
Research consistently shows that teenage girls are particularly susceptible to eating disorders. One study found that adolescent females are three times more likely to develop such symptoms by age 15.
By targeting #SkinnyTok, TikTok is acknowledging the urgent need to protect youth from toxic content that encourages disordered behaviors.
TikTok’s algorithmic design means that engaging with one piece of harmful content can result in thousands more appearing in the feed—creating a dangerous feedback loop. Many mental health professionals call this “algorithmic self-harm.”
It took official intervention—from regulators and ministers—to drive meaningful action. This sets a hopeful precedent: when platforms are held accountable, they can act swiftly and decisively.
Despite positive intentions, experts emphasize that banning a hashtag only scratches the surface.
Users have already begun using alternate spellings like #Skniytok to bypass filters. History shows that coded language for diet content will always return in another form.
#SkinnyTok is a symptom of a larger issue: an entrenched societal obsession with thinness. Unless broader cultural values shift—around fatphobia, beauty privilege, and restrictive weight ideals—new iterations will simply emerge.
TikTok has been reactive—banning ads for fasting apps in 2020, working with NEDA in 2021, and now banning #SkinnyTok. But these actions address symptoms, not the root problem embedded in recommendation systems.
Here’s what health professionals and regulators suggest beyond banning hashtags:
- Redesign recommendation systems to prevent amplifying toxic content.
- Promote media literacy in schools so young users can critically navigate online content.
- Support more diverse representations of body types in media and advertising.
- Increase mental health funding and helplines, giving teens access to credible support.
- Talk openly with teens about social media, body image, and wellness.
- Encourage content curation: block harmful creators, follow positive influencers.
- Teach skepticism: help teens understand the persuasive nature of curated content.
- Provide offline support: model balanced eating, body acceptance, and self-care.
TikTok’s ban on #SkinnyTok is a meaningful first step. It saves at-risk users from exposure to a dangerous trend and sets a precedent for platform accountability. But it is not a cure.
Real change requires cultural transformation, algorithm reform, media education, and better mental health support. Otherwise, diet culture will merely resurface under different hashtags, waiting to ensnare the next wave of vulnerable youth.
The ban shows us both how far we’ve come and how much further we need to go. In the journey to healthier online spaces, this is just the beginning.
Umar Awan 
Torin