TikTok has suspended search results for the hashtag #SkinnyTok worldwide following pressure from European regulators concerned about content promoting extreme weight loss and unhealthy body images. The company confirmed it blocked the hashtag “since it has become linked to unhealthy weight loss content,” according to a statement.

Users searching for the hashtag are now directed to mental health resources, including a call button for the U.S. National Alliance for Eating Disorders and a message that “help is out there” for people with questions about body image, food, or exercise.

The New York Times reports that the European Commission started investigating the #SkinnyTok trend after France’s Digital Minister Clara Chappaz raised concerns in April about TikTok promoting extreme thinness and potentially glamorizing anorexia. Chappaz met with TikTok officials in Dublin in early May and described the platform’s decision as a “collective victory” in a post on X.

The issue featured prominently in a recent call between EU Consumer Protection Commissioner Michael McGrath and TikTok CEO Shou Chew.

Broader Content Moderation Challenges

The hashtag ban comes amid ongoing scrutiny of TikTok under the EU’s Digital Services Act. The platform faces a separate investigation regarding ad transparency, with preliminary findings suggesting breaches that could result in fines up to 6% of global turnover.

Social media platforms have long struggled with content moderation related to body image. TikTok’s guidelines prohibit videos promoting “disordered eating and dangerous weight loss behaviors,” using a combination of machine learning and human moderation to enforce these rules. The company also banned users under 18 from accessing beauty filters that artificially alter facial features late last year.

Other platforms are implementing similar protections. YouTube recently adjusted its recommendation algorithms for users aged 13-17 to prevent repeated suggestions of videos idealizing specific fitness levels or body weights.

The action comes as European lawmakers consider proposals for new EU rules to restrict children’s social media use. Chappaz has stated that “banning social media before 15 is my priority,” signaling continued regulatory pressure on platforms regarding child safety.

TikTok previously suspended and later withdrew its TikTok Lite reward program in 2024 after concerns about its effects on mental health.