Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Apr 02, 2023

Views on TikTok hashtags hosting eating disorder content continue to climb, research says

Views on TikTok hashtags hosting eating disorder content continue to climb, research says

New analysis from the Centre for Countering Digital Hate found that views on TikTok content using hashtags it previously identified as hosting eating-disorder material grew by 1.6 billion from November to January. But TikTok says it has removed harmful content.

TikTok videos using hashtags previously identified as hosting eating-disorder content are continuing to attract views, new research by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate has found.

A December report by the campaign group identified "coded" hashtags where users could access potentially harmful videos promoting restrictive diets and so-called "thinspo" content, designed to encourage harmful weight loss.

New analysis of those hashtags by the organisation found that since the study, just seven had been removed from the platform and only three carried a health warning on the UK version of the app.

But TikTok said it had removed content which violates its rules, which do not allow the promotion or glorification of eating disorders.

The Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) said the hashtags it found still on the platform had amassed 1.6 billion more views, which the UK's leading eating disorder charity Beat has called "extremely concerning".

"There is no excuse for harmful hashtags and videos being on TikTok in the first place," Andrew Radford, Beat's Chief Executive said.

"The company should immediately identify and remove damaging content as soon as it is uploaded," he told Sky News.

Content warning: this article contains references to eating disorders.

TikTok's community guidelines restrict eating disorder-related content on its platform and this includes hashtags explicitly associated with it.

But users will often make subtle edits to terminology so they can continue posting potentially harmful material about eating disorders without being spotted by TikTok's moderators.

'Coded' language to avoid detection

In its December report, the CCDH identified 56 TikTok hashtags using "coded" language, under which it found potentially harmful eating disorder content.

The CCDH also found 35 of the hashtags contained a high concentration of pro-eating disorder videos, while it said 21 contained a mix of harmful content and healthy discussion.

Among the material found in both categories were videos promoting unhealthy weight loss, restrictive diets and "thinspo".

In November, the views across these hashtags stood at 13.2 billion. When CCDH reviewed them in January, it found that the number of views on videos using the hashtags had grown to more than 14.8 billion.

Since the original study, CCDH says seven of the hashtags it identified had been removed from the platform altogether.

Four of those hosted predominantly pro-eating disorder content, while three contained both positive and harmful videos.

In the review, the CCDH found when accessed by US users, 37 of the hashtags they identified carried a safety warning directing users to the US's leading eating disorder charity.

However, the same review found that for UK users, just three of those hashtags carry the same kind of warning.

Centre for Countering Digital Hate found 56 hashtags associated with eating disorder content. 35 of those contained a high concentration of pro-eating disorder content.
'Outcry' by parents

"TikTok is clearly capable of adding warnings to English language content that might harm but is choosing not to implement this for English language content in the UK," said Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate.

"There can be no clearer example of the way the enforcement of purportedly universal rules of these platforms are actually implemented partially, selectively, and only when platforms feel under real pressure by governments," he told Sky News.

The new research also indicates that most of the people accessing material under these hashtags are young.

Using TikTok's own data analytics tool, CCDH found that 91% of views on 21 of the hashtags came from users under the age of 24. This tool, however, is limited as TikTok does not include data for any users under the age of 18.

"Despite an outcry from parents, politicians and the general public, three months later this content continues to grow and spread unchecked," Mr Ahmed added.

"Every view represents a potential victim - someone whose mental health might be harmed by negative body image content, someone who might start restricting their diet to dangerously low levels," he said.

Following CCDH's findings, a group of charities - including the NSPCC, the Molly Russell Foundation and the US and UK arms of the American Psychological Foundation - have called on TikTok to improve its moderation policies in a letter to its head of safety, Eric Han.

Responding to the findings, a spokesperson for TikTok said: "Our community guidelines are clear that we do not allow the promotion, normalisation or glorification of eating disorders, and we have removed content mentioned in this report that violates these rules.

"We are open to feedback and scrutiny, and we seek to engage constructively with partners who have expertise on these complex issues, as we do with NGOs in the US and UK."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
Close
0:00
0:00
The G-7 aims to make global crypto regulations tougher
Don’t Dismiss China’s Peacemaking Bid
Father obliterates council members following viral TikTok of biological male masturbating in women’s bathroom..
EU's von der Leyen: "We know this is an era where we rely on one single supplier. China. 98% of our rare earth supply."
China and Brazil have signed a new deal that will allow them to trade in their own currencies, bypassing the US dollar as an intermediary
Elon Musk and Others Call for Pause on A.I., Citing ‘Profound Risks to Society’
Nashville style execution
“We've had evidence prior to the pandemic that masks were largely ineffective at preventing community transmission of influenza “
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz:
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz rejects being labeled a "billionaire"
Jamie Dimon is being deposed over JPMorgan Chase role in Epstein lawsuits
This is how an electric car saves all the energy that he would have spent if he had lived 50 years longer.
Brand new security footage has just been released to the public showing the Active shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale drove to Covenant Church School in her Honda Fit this morning, parked, and shot her way into the building
Social Media censoring users for saying the true
Smart Iranian fashion designer teaching dummy TV anchors lesson about reality
AMERICA, 2023
U.S. charges FTX's Bankman-Fried with paying $40 million bribe
Fallen 'Crypto King' Who Owes Millions to Investors Was Kidnapped and Tortured
Regulators blame social media for SVB's rapid collapse: 'Complete game changer'
AOC explains why she opposes banning TikTok
UK: Humza Yousaf replaces Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and first minister in Scotland
In a dramatic U-turn against His Government: Judicial Reform Legislation Must Be Halted, Says Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel Corporation, died at 94
Powell: Silicon Valley Bank was an 'outlier'
Donald Trump arrested – Twitter goes wild with doctored pictures
NYPD is setting up barricades outside Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of Trump arrest.
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Goldman Sachs cuts outlook for European bank debt over Credit Suisse crisis
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
"Will Fly Wherever International Law Allows": US Warns Russia After Drone Incident
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
Announcing GPT-4
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
China is calling out the US, UK, and Australia on their submarine pact, claiming they are going further down a dangerous road
A brief banking situation report
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
Good news: The U.S. government is now guaranteeing all deposits, held by, Silicon Valley Bank, and the funds are available as of today
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
Saudi Arabia has announced a major breakthrough in diplomacy with Iran after two years of intense talks
A Mississippian man, who was once considered a “ticking time bomb,” has lost a whopping 165 kilograms! What motivated this incredible transformation?
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
Barcelona is feeling the heat as they face corruption charges over payments to former vice-president of Spain's referees' committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
Watch: “They are wounded but unbowed, unbreakable.”
Silicon Valley Bank: Struggles Threaten Tech Startup Ecosystem"
×