I quit TikTok to avoid eating disorder relapse

A woman who struggled with anorexia said she had to delete TikTok to protect her health after “skinnytok” flooded her feed with “damaging” weight loss advice.

If you have not heard of it, “skinnytok” is a controversial side of social media where people promote weight loss tips focused on restrictive eating with the aim of being “skinny”.

TikTok recently blocked the search for the term but Eve Jones, 23, from Cardiff, said, despite it being a step in the right direction, it “scratches the surface” on a larger issue – which people can find a way around.

TikTok said it continued to restrict videos and blocked the search as it became linked to unhealthy weight loss content.

Despite the ban, many videos promoting “skinnytok” which do not use the hashtag are still available on the app.

As someone who has been in and out of hospital since the age of 13, Eve said the search ban was “too late” as the messaging is already out there.

Eve has removed herself from the platform as she said users promoted “detrimental and disordered” eating and she was worried about the impact it is having on younger people.

“It’s almost a compulsion to watch it. There is a self-damaging part of eating disorders where you try to access this,” Eve said.

“Once you interact with one post like that, your feed is flooded with it so quickly.”

Letter accents and numbers can also be used to disguise damaging hashtags, Eve said, so content was still “very easy” to access.

“I’m lucky to be in a position where I have had my treatment and I how to avoid my triggers, but people on the other side of this won’t be aware of that.”

The trend has seen a resurfacing of diet culture compared to that of the 2000’s, with supermodel Kate Moss’s “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” frequently quoted as a source of inspiration.

Other controversial quotes include: “You’re not a dog, you don’t deserve a treat.”

Eve said she blocked certain words from her social media feeds, including TikTok and X, but the videos still appeared.

Many users insist people should avoid consuming the content if it is harmful, Eve said, or come off social media, but she argues it is not that simple.

“Anyone who is actively searching ‘skinnytok’ is either not going to recognise what they are doing is unhealthy, or they are not going to seek help about it,” she said.

The word skinny has become a buzz word online, Eve said, with many promoting extreme weight loss under the guise of having “healthy” self control and willpower.

“There is a lot of denial in having an eating disorder” Eve said, adding that people often were not aware the content is damaging.

Her anorexia spiralled from clean eating she believed was healthy.

“The videos are encouraging people to take up habits I spent the last seven years trying to overcome,” she added.

“I don’t know if I have a friend who hasn’t struggled with their food at some point, even if it’s not a diagnosed eating disorder, it’s affecting a lot of girls on social media.

“I personally don’t think anyone needs to know what someone eats in a day, it’s a comparative thing.”

Eating disorder charity Beat surveyed people with eating disorders in 2022 about their experiences online and 91% of respondents said they had encountered harmful content which could fuel eating disorder thoughts and behaviours.

In 2024, popular TikTok user Liv Schmidt was banned from the platform over her controversial weight loss posts, with many viewers reporting her account for “triggering” language.

Known for “what I eat in a day” and “skinny girl essential” suggestions, Ms Schmidt was accused of “rage baiting” to boost her profile views.

Tilly Short, 21, from Cardiff University, champions body positivity but said it was concerning as a lot of teenagers relied on social media for information.

There is a constant pressure online, Tilly said, and despite trying to adjust the way she interacts with content so it does not appear on her feed, she said it was “almost impossible” to avoid.

“You should take everything you see on social media with a pinch of salt. A lot of content creators are not qualified, they are not health professionals.”

Research from University College of London found people aged 10-24 who used social media sites were potentially at risk of developing image concerns, eating disorders and poor mental health.

Alexandra Dane, lead researcher, said social media platforms enabled young people to constantly compare their appearance to others, which can “encourage young people to view themselves as objects that should be judged based on their appearance”.

Ms Dane described it as an “emerging global public health issue” and called for more recognition, funding and research to ensure the education and early identification of at-risk individuals.

Tom Quinn, a spokesman for eating disorder charity Beat, welcomed the ban of the “skinnytok” but said TikTok and other social media platforms “must now take steps to ensure their platforms are free of all harmful content”.

Mr Quinn said people would often find workarounds to content blocks and there will still be damaging content that is not under the hashtag.

“While social media will never be the sole and direct cause of an eating disorder, we know it can make things worse for those already at risk,” he said.

“It’s important to note that some people who create this kind of content may be unwell themselves, so it isn’t intended maliciously.”

TikTok said the platform offered a number of well-being resources as well as “strict rules against body shaming and dangerous weight loss behaviours”.

It added: “The platform regularly reviews its safety measures to address evolving risks.

“We continue to restrict videos from teen accounts and provide health experts and information in TikTok Search.”

If you or anyone you know have been affected by any of the themes raised in this article, help and support is available on BBC Action Line