Research shows that watching TikTok content for just a few minutes can negatively impact a woman’s body image

A new study shows that watching less than 10 minutes of videos on TikTok can negatively impact a woman’s body image, and experts are calling for stricter regulations on harmful content on social media.

Eating disorder experts say the harmful content they’ve reported through TikTok goes unchecked by the platform’s guidelines and is rarely removed.

Researchers led by Charles Sturt University surveyed 273 women aged 18 to 28 about their body image and beauty standards, then divided the sample into two groups. Each group watched different eight-minute compilations of TikTok videos.

One group watched TikTok content that featured videos glorifying eating disorders, sometimes described as “pro-anorexia” content. The content included “fitspiration” videos of women exercising and promoting weight loss methods.

The other group watched nature, cooking and comedy videos.

Both groups reported a decrease in body image satisfaction after watching the eight-minute compilation of videos. Those exposed to pro-anorexia content showed the greatest decrease, and an increase in internalization of unrealistic beauty ideals was also observed.

The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Plos One, with the authors involved Young women exposed to pro-anorexia content on TikTok may have been at greater risk of developing an eating disorder.

According to study co-author Dr Rachel Hogg, the significant harm caused by even short-term content raised concerns among people who use the app for hours each day. senior lecturer in psychology.

“You don’t have to consume a lot of content to have a negative impact. We know that most people spend a lot longer on TikTok than the participants in our study did,” she said.

A TikTok spokesperson said the app was inclusive and body-positive, and did not allow content that depicted or normalized eating disorders. They added that users could reset their TikTok feed and would be directed to appropriate counseling if they searched for the content.

The platform has removed hashtags related to eating disorders and refers users to the Butterfly Foundation helpline, a charity that provides support to people with eating disorders and body image issues.

Melissa Wilton, head of communications at the Butterfly Foundation, said that while TikTok has received advice on appropriate guidelines, it rarely removes harmful content when the charity flags it.

“There is harmful content on the TikTok platform and I think it’s unfair of them to say otherwise,” she said.

“The guidelines are being enforced. The problem, I would say, is what the guidelines cover.”

High school student Katya Jaski developed an eating disorder at age 13, which she says was only exacerbated by social media.

“For example, if you come across a video of a skinny girl showing an unrealistic ‘what I eat in a day’ video and you watch it, that content will appear in your feed more often,” Jaski said.

“At my lowest point … pretty much every video on my feed would be a very sick, malnourished girl in the hospital,” she said. “It seems like everyone is so much skinnier than you.”

Jaski, now 17, has joined the Butterfly Foundation and other experts in calling for stricter regulation of social media platforms, recognizing the potentially harmful nature of content geared toward anorexia and weight loss.

In 2023, TikTok was warned that it was not acting quickly enough to tighten its content policies after an investigation found that TikTok’s recommendation algorithm promoted content about self-harm and eating disorders within minutes of teens expressing interest in the topics.

“TikTok and other platforms (need to) be able to identify what’s going to be problematic,” Wilton said. “If it’s going to cause harm across the board, then it needs to come down.”

Governments across Australia are exploring whether they can ban social media for some young people to protect them from harmful content and the negative consequences of spending too much time online.