23-year-old woman with anorexia relapses after exposure to "skinnytok" content on TikTok algorithm

Summary

A 23-year-old woman from Cardiff, Eve Jones, deleted TikTok to avoid triggering an eating disorder relapse after being exposed to "skinnytok" content promoting restrictive eating and extreme weight loss. Despite TikTok blocking the search term "skinnytok" in 2024, Eve said the ban was too late, as harmful content was already widely accessible and could be found using alternative hashtags or search terms. The content, which encourages disordered eating habits, led to her feed being flooded with similar videos after interacting with just one post. Eve explained that the messaging normalizes unhealthy weight loss under the guise of "healthy" self-control, which conflicts with her recovery from anorexia. A 2022 survey by eating disorder charity Beat found that 91% of respondents with eating disorders had encountered harmful content online. TikTok stated it continues to restrict videos and provide health resources, but users like Eve argue that harmful content remains easily accessible despite platform efforts.