TikTok has blocked search results for #SkinnyTok, a hashtag tied to extreme dieting trends that critics say promote eating disorders and glorify thinness at any cost.
The platform confirmed last week it scrubbed the tag, saying it had “become linked to unhealthy weight loss content.” Users who search it now get rerouted to mental health resources — a move welcomed by some, but dismissed by others as digital whack-a-mole.
French Digital Minister Clara Chappaz, who led the charge to get the hashtag pulled, called the videos “revolting and absolutely unacceptable” in a public statement earlier this year.
The French bureaucrat has reportedly worked with EU regulators since April, pressuring platforms to take stronger action against content that can “shatter lives.”
Supporters of the scrubbing say the tag fueled a dangerous feedback loop.
The National Alliance for Eating Disorders told the BBC that #SkinnyTok’s half-million posts often masked disordered eating behind “what I eat in a day” routines and low-calorie recipes, all while “glorifying thinness and vilifying weight gain.”
French nutritionist Carole Copti told the AFP news agency that her “patients are completely indoctrinated” by #SkinnyTok, adding her weekly consultations are “no match” for the hours young people spend on TikTok.
The platform has taken similar action in the past. According to TikTok’s newsroom, it blocked a viral “chubby filter” in March, restricted ads for fasting apps in 2020 and partnered with the National Eating Disorder Association in 2021.
Also in 2021, it flushed #DeviousLicks from the platform after the tag went viral featuring students filming themselves stealing soap dispensers and trashing school bathrooms in acts of online one-upmanship.
Per public company policy, TikTok says it routinely (and quietly) bans hashtags tied to adult content, self-harm and dangerous viral challenges — but critics say these filters are easily evaded.
“We know users will very often find workarounds,” Tom Quinn, head of the eating disorder charity Beat, told the BBC.
“There will still be damaging content which isn’t shared under the #SkinnyTok umbrella,” he added.
TikTok is under pressure of another kind, too.
Under a federal law, Chinese parent company ByteDance must sell TikTok’s U.S. operations by June 19 or face a nationwide ban — an extension granted after initial delays. President Trump has signaled he’d be open to granting the company further extensions if needed.
It’s unclear if the new hashtag ban will have any bearing on the company’s divestment schedule.
The Washington Times has reached out to ByteDance for comment.
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