TikTok shows teens ‘eating disorder and self-harm content within minutes’

TikTok is also host to an eating disorder community using coded and open hashtags (Picture: CCDH)

TikTok bombards teenagers with self-harm content within minutes of them signing up to the platform, a new study claims.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) set up eight fake profiles appearing as 13-year-old girls and researchers were ‘extremely disturbed’ by their findings.

On average, the accounts were served videos about mental health and body image every 39 seconds.

Content referencing suicide was displayed to one account within just 2.6 minutes, while eating disorder content was shown to another within eight minutes.

Profiles designed to mimic vulnerable teenagers concerned about their weight were shown three times more harmful content than standard accounts.

They were exposed to 12 times more self-harm and suicide videos.

The report also discovered TikTok is host to an eating disorder community using coded and open hashtags to share content, with more than 13.2 billion views.

Vulnerable accounts were exposed to 12 times more self-harm and suicide videos (Picture: CCDH)

The fake accounts were set up to appear as 13-year-old girls (Picture: CCDH)

TikTok’s guidelines ban eating disorder content on its platform but people are using un-explicit search terms to bypass the app’s algorithm.

For example, ‘pro-ana’ was used as an encrypted search term for pro-anorexia content, giving people tips and encouragement on how to starve themselves.

This phrase, and others like it, have been banned by TikTok but the CCDH found many are slipping through.

TikTok has insisted the study and its research methods ‘does not reflect behaviour or genuine viewing experiences of real people’.

CCDH researchers set up two accounts in the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada – one standard profile and one vulnerable one with traditionally female names.

The vulnerable accounts had the characters ‘loseweight’ in their usernames, as studies shows those with body dysmorphia issues often express this through their username.

They then recorded the first 30 minutes of content automatically recommended by TikTok to these accounts in their ‘For You’ feed.

One video showed a user trying to flush blades down the toilet (Picture: CCDH)

Some eating disorder content told people to use chewing gum to prevent feeling hungry (Picture: CCDH)

Anytime something which promoted potentially dangerous content about mental health, disordered eating, or self-harm, researchers would pause and like it to simulate the behavior of a young adult who may be vulnerable to such content.

Examples of the videos and images which came up include a young person referencing suicide with a caption to their clip reading: ‘Going to school after an attempt’.

Another user wrote: ‘Making everyone think you’re fine you can attempt in private’.

Some self-harm content showed a youngster flushing blades down the toilet, in an attempt to stop doing it.

Others provide ‘tips’ for disordered eating, such as ‘eating gum makes you less hungry’ with the hashtag ‘imnothungry’.

Some self-harm and eating disorder content is educational, however, or about recovery from these issues.

It is not clear how much the CCDH differentiated between these types of clips and harmful ones.

The CCDH’s CEO Imran Ahmed said: ‘TikTok was designed to dazzle young users into giving up their time and attention but our research proves that its algorithms are not just entertaining children but poisoning their minds too.

‘It promotes to children hatred of their own bodies and extreme suggestions of self-harm and disordered, potentially deadly, attitudes to food.

‘Parents will be shocked to learn the truth and will be furious that lawmakers are failing to protect young people from Big Tech billionaires, their unaccountable social media apps and increasingly aggressive algorithms.’

TikTok said: ‘We regularly consult with health experts, remove violations of our policies, and provide access to supportive resources for anyone in need.

‘We’re mindful that triggering content is unique to each individual and remain focused on fostering a safe and comfortable space for everyone, including people who choose to share their recovery journeys or educate others on these important topics.’

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Warning: Disturbing content.