New research shows that less than 10 minutes of TikTok can be enough to negatively impact women’s body image.
The study, which sought to fill a gap in research on the effects of TikTok on women’s body image and self-image, found that anorexic content is particularly harmful to viewers.
Researchers at Charles Sturt University in Australia collected data from 273 women between the ages of 18 and 28. They had half of the women watch an eight-minute collection of content that the researchers called “pro-anorexia” or “pro-ana.” This included excessive exercise, advice on how to lose weight and images of “emaciated figures.”
The other half of the group watched eight-minute videos on nature, comedy and cooking.
Both groups answered questionnaires about eating habits and perception of their own body image.
Both groups reported feeling less satisfied with their own body image after watching the videos. However, those who watched pro-anorexia content reported a greater drop in satisfaction and were more likely to internalize unrealistic body standards. However, the study also showed that greater daily TikTok use did not contribute to an increase in eating disorders.
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However, according to the researchers, their results showed that TikTok should do more to protect its viewers from potentially harmful topics.
“TikTok needs to have stricter controls and regulations on pro-ana content, as well as more subtle forms of eating disorders and body-focused content,” they wrote.
