TikTok has become a go-to platform for young people to share their eating disorder recovery experiences and to find support in their journeys. However, while users may be eager to use social media, recovery-related content may expose vulnerable users to harmful material.
Blair Burnette is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University where her lab, the ARISE Research Lab, investigates the social, cultural and environmental factors that influence how people feel about eating and their bodies.
Burnette is currently leading a study that analyzes TikTok videos tagged with eating disorder recovery hashtags to better evaluate their potential impact on viewers. To mark National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, she offers key insights that raise questions about how the platform’s content may affect young viewers.
How does TikTok’s algorithm affect eating disorder content?
If you have an eating disorder, you have to be a really cautious and mindful consumer of social media, especially TikTok, because the algorithm is going to pick up on it. Even when you’re trying to protect yourself on social media, you will be shown triggering content.
Research has shown that people with eating disorders receive over 4,000 times more eating disorder-related videos on TikTok — regardless of whether they engage with it in any way. The study also found that TikTok delivered 335% more dieting videos and 142% more exercise videos, and that the more severe the eating disorder was, the more problematic the videos were that were shown.
The algorithms are extremely complicated, but they’re also extremely adept at picking up vulnerabilities. If you hover over content for just a few seconds, it will pick up on it. It’s also likely pulling from other things you’re doing on your phone like your text messages and searches.
Is recovery content on TikTok always helpful?
If you are seeking out recovery-related content on TikTok, you have to be aware that not everyone is really solid in their recovery yet.
What we’re observing in our study is disordered behaviors and disordered thought patterns in the videos — both in obvious and subtle ways. For example, one popular trend on TikTok is ‘What I eat in a day,’ where people share everything that they consume. When I view them as a clinician, I can see some concerning behaviors that might be too subtle for someone in recovery to call out.
As a clinician, I wouldn’t recommend a client seek out these spaces on social media for supporting their recovery. There may be some good accounts, but you must be judicious with identifying who is and isn’t providing healthy content. We saw a lot of concerning content.
What patterns are present in the representation of eating disorders on TikTok?
If you don’t fit the stereotype of what an eating disorder is supposed to look like, TikTok’s probably not going to be where you feel included or represented.
Throughout my lab’s project analyzing TikTok videos that use recovery hashtags, we overwhelmingly are seeing content that highlights thin, white, adolescent and young adult women.
But we know that disordered eating can affect anyone. Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health reported that 9% of the U.S. population, or 30 million Americans, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. Another study published in Social Science and Medicine found that between 34% and 54% of young adults reported unhealthy weight control behaviors, while another study found the prevalence of disordered eating among college students to be about 20%.
A study published in Current Opinion in Pediatrics estimated that over 10% of adolescent boys experience clinically significant disordered eating. Eating disorders also affect people of all weights and body shapes.
We’re finding that TikTok reinforces eating disorder stereotypes and is not doing much to counter it.
Why does this topic matter, especially for young people?
Eating disorders are one of the deadliest mental disorders that exist. They often present alongside other mental health concerns like anxiety, depression and psychological distress. They’re hard to treat and they can be chronic.
The average ages of onset for eating disorders are adolescence and early adulthood — ages that represent individuals who also are some of the heaviest users of social media, especially on TikTok and Instagram. With young people being the most vulnerable to eating and body image concerns, it’s imperative that we understand how social media is affecting them.
If young people are going to be on social media, they will need more help and support with finding a safe way to do so.
To find a free eating disorder support group, check out Project Heal. MSU’s Counseling and Psychiatric Services and the MSU Psychological Clinic both offer counseling services for those looking for more support.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the Eating Disorder Center’s National Helpline at 877-825-8584.
