On Monday, the 2nd of June, social media platform TikTok announced that, following a thorough review by lawmakers in Brussels and Paris, it has blocked the popular hashtag “SkinnyTok” worldwide, which is associated with videos about weight loss, according to Politico.
In recent months, TikTok has been flooded with videos of underweight young women promoting extreme diets and posting weight loss tips. This attracted the attention of both the European Commission and France’s digital watchdog Arcom.
“We have blocked search results for the hashtag #skinnytok because it is associated with unhealthy weight loss,” said TikTok representative Paolo Ganino.
This step is part of TikTok’s ‘regular review’ of safety measures to address evolving risks, he said. Searching for this hashtag will now lead to a link for psychological help.
French Digital Affairs Minister Clara Chappaz celebrated a “common victory” on Sunday, which came after nearly two months of helping to push a petition and meeting with TikTok representatives in Dublin.
Arguing that “the fight to protect our children online does not end here, Chappaz said: “I will not throw in the towel. Banning social media for children under 15 is my priority.”
Protecting children online is becoming an important issue in Brussels. Member states are considering new EU rules to significantly restrict children’s use of social media. Politicians are using the “SkinnyTok” trend to show why they are concerned.
On Friday, EU Consumer Protection Commissioner Michael McGrath called TikTok CEO Shou Zhou to discuss TikTok’s role in limiting the harmful effects of the “SkinnyTok” trend.
This comes as the EU continues a broader investigation into the platform’s algorithms under the bloc’s content moderation rules, the Digital Services Act.
“This is an active investigation that will proceed in the normal course, but I felt it was important to reiterate the Commission’s strong position on child protection issue,” McGrath said after Friday’s talks.
In 2024, TikTok suspended and later cancelled its “TikTok Lite” rewards programme, which rewarded users for time spent on the app, following concerns about its impact on mental health.