TikTok has begun blocking search results for the hashtag #SkinnyTok, following growing criticism that it promotes unhealthy body ideals and glorifies extreme thinness.
The platform confirmed the move, stating that #SkinnyTok had become associated with content encouraging disordered eating habits and unrealistic body standards. Users attempting to search for the term are now redirected to mental health support resources.
Videos previously tagged under the hashtag often featured extreme workout routines and “what I eat in a day” clips that often idealise restrictive diets.
“We’ve blocked search results for #SkinnyTok as it became linked to harmful weight loss content,” TikTok said in a statement. “We continue to review and strengthen our safety measures to address evolving risks.”
What is #SkinnyTok?
The #SkinnyTok hashtag has amassed more than half a million posts, according to the U.S.-based National Alliance for Eating Disorders. While some of the content appears to offer health or lifestyle advice, such as low-calorie recipes, the organisation says much of it "glorifies thinness, vilifies weight gain," and encourages disordered eating behaviours. It’s no surprise the platform has blocked the hashtag from search results.
The trend has drawn particular concern in France, where health professionals have warned of the damaging influence such content can have on teens and young adults.
France’s Digital Minister praised TikTok’s response, crediting European policymakers for pushing platforms to better moderate harmful content. “#SkinnyTok is over,” he wrote in a celebratory post on social media.
Rupa Shah condemns 'harmful' diet culture
Rupa Shah, Founder of Hashtag Ad, has long condemned “harmful” diet culture online.
“Celebrities promoting harmful slimming products, like appetite-suppressant lollipops and detox teas, have rightly been called out and I’ve repeatedly criticised those campaigns myself,” she said. “But what we’re seeing now with trends like ‘#SkinnyTok’ is just as dangerous and even harder to pin down.
“It’s not one brand or post, it’s an entire culture of content that promotes disordered eating under the guise of wellness. The failure is both in platform moderation and in marketing oversight. Social platforms need to act faster, and advertisers should be asking much tougher questions about where their content is showing up. If a campaign ends up adjacent to this kind of content, that’s not just a brand safety issue, it’s an ethical one.”
She labelled TikTok’s move to block the hashtag a “step in the right direction,” but ever allowing it to grow reflects a “deeper, systemic failure.”
“When an algorithm actively surfaces harmful content and it takes political pressure to intervene, that, in my view, is not responsible platform governance. It's a warning sign that the system is working exactly as designed, just without care for the consequences.”
TikTok’s broader push on body image issues
This is not the first time TikTok has acted to address content that may negatively affect body image. In March, the platform banned so-called “chubby filters” - viral effects that digitally alter a user's appearance to make them look larger, often used in mocking or harmful ways.
TikTok says it continues to refine its approach, including limiting certain content from teen accounts and promoting verified health information within search results.
