Harmful TikTok trend fueling new wave of dangerous diet culture

TikTok has long been a breeding ground for viral trends, but its latest subculture, “SkinnyTok,” is reigniting old diet culture in a digital age.Behind the trendy filters and catchy sounds lies an extremely problematic reality – a community where thinness is idolised, extreme calorie deficits are glamorised, and the pursuit of a shrinking body is celebrated, often at the expense of mental and physical health.SkinnyTok refers to a corner of the internet where creators openly document their weight loss journeys, post “what I eat in a day” videos featuring alarmingly low calorie counts, and share ‘body checks’ (videos where people weigh and measure themselves).Some even boast about “gaslighting” themselves into being skinny, or confess to daily gym visits out of a fear of being “fat” – even when they already fit society’s narrow beauty standards.TikTok has, for its part, attempted to clamp down on this content.Searching for “SkinnyTok” now triggers a warning: “You’re not alone” and prompts people to seek help if they’re struggling with body image, food, or exercise.Influencers like Liv Schmidt, who built a following of over 670,000 with her “blonde and skinny” persona, have been banned.Yet, the algorithm still seems to serve up the very content it claims to protect users from.So, what can people do to safeguard themselves online?First, you need to understand what SkinnyTok is, how the trend has managed to gain such a huge following, and who is most at risk.Jemma Haythorne, a confidence coach, speaker, and podcaster, knows firsthand the damage that online diet culture can do.“I started hating my body when I was 12 years old, but really spiralled into disordered eating when I was 16.My friends and I would follow skinny content on Tumblr, using it as ‘motivation’ to eat less to achieve our goals of being thin,” she tells news.com.auFor Haythorne, the pressure peaked during Schoolies, when the prospect of hundreds of Faceb...