Is TikTok the first step to an eating disorder?
Social media is known to negatively influence young people's body image. Users are confronted with unrealistic beauty ideals.
This leads to unhealthy comparisons: Many Young people and young adults are dissatisfied with their bodies. Videos showing extremely thin bodies or constant Diet tips can be seen are of little help.
The Study authors Madison Blackburn and Rachel Hogg from the Australian Charles Sturt University wanted to investigate in more detail how such content specifically affects the body image of young women.
► The results show that just eight minutes a day can have extreme consequences. certain TikTok content satisfaction with one's own body.
Diet and fitness videos put to the test
A small group of 273 test participants aged 18 to 28 were randomly divided into two groups:
- Experimental group: They were shown seven to eight minute videos anorexia– and fitness content. Young women restricting their diets and giving training or diet tips.
- Control group: Participants watched a seven- to eight-minute compilation of TikTok videos with “neutral” content such as nature, cooking and animal videos.
► People with eating disorders were excluded from the study. Before and after the videos, the Satisfaction with the body and attitudes towards beauty standards were measured.
Both groups reported less satisfaction with themselves after watching the videos, with the decline being greater among participants exposed to anorexia content.
High consumption affects the body’s well-being
Before the experiment, questions were asked about general TikTok-Use. Their interest in “healthy” diet and symptoms of Eating disorder were measured.
The researchers found that people who used TikTok for more than two hours a day had a disordered eating behavior However, the difference between the groups was not large enough to rule out chance.
► On a scale for assessing eating disorder symptoms, participants who report high (two to three hours per day) or extreme (more than three hours per day) TikTok use are just below the cutoff point.
This means that more than two hours of TikTok consumption per day could lead to eating disorders.
However, further research is needed to investigate this.