TikTok Bans Extreme Thinness Search Trend SkinnyTok. What Does It Mean?

TikTok has banned the #SkinnyTok following global backlash and growing mental health concerns. The move comes after France's digital minister Clara Chappaz filed a formal complaint with EU regulators, citing the trend's role in promoting disordered eating and body shaming. The platform has now blocked the hashtag and begun redirecting users to verified mental health support resources instead. 

A TikTok spokesperson, Paolo Ganino, confirmed the action, stating: “[We] have blocked search results for #skinnytok since it has become linked to unhealthy weight loss content.” He added this decision was part of “a regular review” of safety measures to respond to emerging risks.

Social media has long influenced how we view our bodies, but TikTok's growing trend known as #SkinnyTok has taken that influence to a dangerous extreme. On the surface, these short videos might appear to promote fitness, health, or "discipline." But beneath the filters and trending sounds lies a deeply troubling message: that thinness, often unhealthily achieved, is the ultimate goal.

SkinnyTok and the Quiet Crisis of Body Image in the Digital Age

The real danger of SkinnyTok lies not only in its message but in its method. Doctors report that the content often includes coded language or indirect visuals, such as "what I eat in a day" videos featuring alarmingly low-calorie meals, or footage of extremely thin bodies with captions like "stay focused" or "don't eat that." For young users, many of whom are still developing their identities and self-worth, this content can be quietly devastating.

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A post shared by Abbey Roberts, Non-Diet Dietitian (@fork.diet.culture)

What makes the trend more insidious is TikTok's algorithm. As soon as a user watches or interacts with one such video, the app begins showing more of the same. Without realising it, viewers can find themselves pulled into a cycle of comparison, body shaming, and distorted eating habits. "It’s a form of algorithmic self-harm," one doctor explained, noting that young people may not even know they're in trouble until the damage is done.

Experts Warn of Long-Term Mental Health Consequences

Experts have voiced growing concern. Psychiatrists and paediatricians now report sharp increases in cases of anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorders , especially among girls aged 12 to 17. Doctors note that what makes SkinnyTok particularly insidious is its blend of peer validation and algorithm-driven repetition. Once a user engages with one video, they're fed dozens more like it.

Parents and mental health advocates are calling for stronger regulation and algorithm transparency. Meanwhile, some countries, like France, are beginning to take action. The French government has asked regulators to investigate how TikTok is allowing such content to thrive despite policies that ban it.

France’s minister for digital media, Clara Chappaz, has reported #SkinnyTok to the country’s audiovisual and digital watchdog and the EU over concerns that the trend is body-shaming victims into anorexia and that algorithms are targeting the most vulnerable.

The hashtag has been associated with more than half a million posts on the app.

“These videos promoting extreme thinness are revolting and absolutely unacceptable,” Chappaz said. “Digital tools are marvellous in terms of progress and freedom, but badly used they can shatter lives … the social networks cannot escape their responsibility.”

In 2015, French MPs voted to make encouraging anorexia punishable by up to a one-year prison sentence and €10,000 fine.