TikTok under French pressure bans the hashtag #SkinnyTok, yet detrimental content remains prevalent.
Swift Actions against Toxic TikTok Content
The digital world's eyes are on TikTok as European nations voice their concerns about the app's impact on youth mental health. Experts have identified that the platform still houses harmful content under various hashtags.
Faced with pressure from the French government, TikTok recently axed the trending hashtag #SkinnyTok associate with glorifying unhealthy extreme thinness and inappropriate weight-loss advice.
This move comes as countries across Europe grow increasingly concerned about the app's influence on young users and its role in promoting body image issues.
The French Ministry for Digital Affairs celebrated the removal as a significant leap in safeguarding minors online. In a tweet on Sunday, Digital Minister Clara Chappaz hailed this as a monumental victory. She further expressed her ambition to ban social media platforms for minors below 15 years of age.
The banned hashtag boasted over half a million posts, predominantly featuring young women, trying to appear thinner through filters, thereby fostering harmful body standards and toxic beauty ideals.
However, concerns persist even as the tag is removed. Searching "SkinnyTok" now redirects users to wellness advice. While this is progress, similar harmful content continues to thrive under different or misspelled hashtags.
Charlyne Buiges, a nurse focusing on eating disorders, felt a sense of triumph following the ban. "It's a great victory; I was delighted," she stated. Time and again, she stressed that her efforts hadn't been in vain.
22-year-old nursing student Ella Marouani shared her disappointment over the lack of action from TikTok. "I reported multiple problematic videos to Tiktok, but each time I was informed that the community guidelines hadn't been breached," she said.
Ella's heart-wrenching tale reveals how early and effortlessly such content can shape a young person's self-image. She came across #SkinnyTok videos in her algorithm, which made her furious. "A few years ago, I would have likely have believed in these videos. Now, I am deeply enraged for those young people who encounter such content," she disclosed.
Healthcare professionals have been raising the alarm over contorted body ideals. Lea Tourain, a Paris-based nutritionist, has witnessed firsthand the effects of such distorted body ideals on teenagers. "These trends are dangerous, and it worries me as they become more fashionable," she noted. In her consultations, she encounters young girls seeking guidance on achieving similar bodies like influencers promoting extreme thinness, which is deeply concerning.
While TikTok claims strict enforcement of rules against body shaming and harmful behaviors related to weight loss, many argue that enforcement is either too weak or inadequate. Arthur Delaporte, French Socialist MP, leads a parliamentary commission investigating the role of social media in spreading harmful content. He calls for a coordinated European response and tougher penalties for platforms that fail to act.
"We need to put a stop to the digital giants' creation of malicious algorithms that contribute to mental disorders," Delaporte said. "Europe needs stricter rules to sanction these platforms and, if necessary, ban them."
The European Commission launched a formal investigation into TikTok under the Digital Services Act (DSA) in 2024. However, its absence during the decision to ban #SkinnyTok raised questions about the EU's role in enforcing its tech rules. Simultaneously, a growing number of European nations, like Belgium and Switzerland, have taken independent action against the platform.
- Mental Health
- Body Image
- TikTok Ban
- Social Media Influence
- Young Generation
- Toxic Content
- Digital Regulation
- EU Investigation
- National Actions
- Mental health professionals have been expressing concerns about TikTok's impact on body image issues, particularly among young people.
- The French government's pressure led to TikTok banning the hashtag #SkinnyTok, which was associated with promoting unhealthy weight-loss advice and glorifying extreme thinness.
- despite the ban, experts fear that similar harmful content may continue to thrive on the platform under different hashtags or misspelled variations.
- French Socialist MP, Arthur Delaporte, is calling for stricter European rules to combat harmful content on social media platforms like TikTok and, if necessary, ban them.
