Tik Tok: “Blocks” content with anorexia nervosa patterns

The social networking platform TikTok announced that it is updating the guidelines to promote the “safety, protection and well-being” of its users.

The changes include the removal of content that promotes eating disorders.

Although TikTok does not officially allow content that promotes or glorifies eating disorders and enforces the rule using a combination of human and artificial intelligence, the application has been criticized in the past for allowing content to proliferate in favor of anorexia nervosa.

In response to this criticism, in recent years TikTok has tried to handle malicious content on the platform, in 2020, the company imposed restrictions on weight loss ads and in 2021 released a new feature that offers a helpline number for users searching for hashtags on with eating disorders. But harmful content is still circulating on the internet, and videos documenting users’ recovery are often unfairly removed.

In an effort to make the app a safer place, the company said it will now begin removing videos that promote symptoms of eating disorders, such as short-term fasting and excessive physical activity. “We are making this change, in consultation with experts, researchers and doctors in eating disorders, as we understand that people can have problems with unhealthy eating patterns and behaviors without being diagnosed with an eating disorder,” the company said in a statement.

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