#SkinnyTok Rebrands Eating Disorders at a Dangerous Pace

The TikTok hashtag #SkinnyTok has recently been banned amid concerns it promotes an extreme thinness ideal, which can be harmful to vulnerable youth. Despite the removal of the hashtag, influencers continue to perpetuate this dangerous trend on other platforms, keeping disordered eating behaviors alive. Social media's ease of sharing and rebranding harmful content allows influencers to disguise and repackage disordered eating as a 'healthy' lifestyle, often monetizing it through trackers, chats, and challenges.

The resurgence of #SkinnyTok echoes past harmful trends like 'heroin chic' in the 1990s and pro-ana content from early internet days. Influencers like Liv Schmidt, who launched a members-only group called "Skinni Société," continued to promote anorexia-like behaviors even after being banned from TikTok. Schmidt shifted her following from TikTok to Instagram and YouTube, where she advocates for eating extremely few calories daily, sometimes as low as 1,000, and charges high subscription fees ranging from $20 to nearly $3,000 monthly for private groups.

The impact of this content poses severe risks. According to Johanna Kandel of the National Alliance for Eating Disorders, calls to her organization’s hotline mentioning #SkinnyTok have increased, often involving individuals with a history of eating disorders being triggered or individuals starting to develop one after exposure to such content.

The proliferation of images and messages promoting a thin ideal—delivered through algorithms—particularly harms adolescent girls, who are more vulnerable to body image issues at this stage. While some content is overtly harmful, many influencers disguise restrictive behaviors within lifestyle or wellness advice, making it harder for parents and authorities to identify and stop these dangerous messages.

Although social media platforms attempt to regulate problematic content, much of it remains accessible, and the internal data needed for effective intervention is often lacking. Experts suggest that reducing time spent on social media can improve body image and mental health among teens. Parental guidance and critical thinking about online content are crucial in protecting youth from the risks associated with these harmful trends.

In summary, #SkinnyTok’s rebranding of eating disorder behaviors presents ongoing risks for young people. It underscores the importance of tighter regulation, awareness, and education to combat the normalization of disordered eating in digital spaces.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-skinnytok-rebranded-disorders-dangerously-fast.html