How harmful is the new ‘Skinnytok’ trend?
On social media there’s a growing trend that glorifies extreme thinness and promotes radical dieting. On TikTok, such posts go viral under the hashtag #SkinnyTok. What impact do these sorts of images and videos have on students?
A new trend is going viral on TikTok called SkinnyTok. These videos promote being extremely slim. Belgian Digitalisation Minister Vanessa Matz already warned this week about the major dangers of the trend.
“If I didn’t have these kinds of photos and videos in my head, I’d have a completely different relationship with food,” Andria Karatziou (28) says, a master’s student in Educational Sciences. For instance, she encounters videos saying that summer is on its way. “Then I think maybe I should exercise more, or eat less and healthier,” Andria adds. She also sometimes finds herself comparing her body to that of other women because of these posts.
Low self‑esteem
Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology Wouter van den Bos believes that this sort of content has harmful consequences for young people. He explains that once you watch several ‘SkinnyTok’ videos, the algorithm quickly ensures your feed shows almost nothing else. This gives young people the impression that everyone – except them – looks that thin. In reality, that’s only a small minority. Because people naturally compare themselves to others and feel pressured to conform to this distorted ‘norm’, they can become dissatisfied with their appearance.
Ultimately, this leads to low self‑esteem and negative emotions, Van den Bos explains. With constant exposure to ‘toxic messages’ about appearance and eating habits, young people can even develop depression or an anxiety disorder.
Andria Karatziou recognizes this. “The eating of very low‑calorie meals is promoted, and carbohydrates are demonized.” According to her, that kind of content makes students feel they have to look perfect. She can also imagine that people end up developing an eating disorder. “Both men and women, but especially women, because people tend to sexualize them.”
Extreme food restriction
Van den Bos is also concerned about the promotion of extreme food restriction in ‘SkinnyTok’ videos. “Extreme dieting can lead to severe underweight, concentration problems and hormonal disturbances. Young people who are constantly exposed to these kinds of images are at greater risk of anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders,” he says. He is referring, among other things, to videos entitled ‘What I eat in a day’, in which people show their daily food intake – often strikingly minimal.
Vulnerable students
Students are a particularly vulnerable group for ‘SkinnyTok’ content, Van den Bos explains. “At the moment, they may well be the ones spending the most time on social media, so their exposure is greatest.” The often high performance pressure — think exam results, social relationships and image — also makes students more susceptible to control mechanisms such as extreme dieting. Furthermore, they are in a life stage where peer pressure plays a major role and their identity is still forming. “They are seeking recognition, which makes them especially sensitive to trends that appear to offer social validation.”
Some students are more vulnerable than others. According to Van den Bos, these include those who already struggle with low self‑esteem, insecurity about their appearance or anxiety about not being good enough. “Young women in particular, because they generally experience greater societal pressure around body ideals,” he adds. But such social‑media trends are increasingly making young men vulnerable too: Van den Bos has seen men in ‘SkinnyTok’ video – albeit far less frequently than women – promoting, for example, muscular physiques and the use of supplements.
“One way to become more resilient against this kind of content is to pause and reflect on what truly matters in your life. This approach is called value affirmation, explains Van den Bos. “Friendship, family, creativity or personal growth are examples of core values. By reflecting on these, people strengthen their sense of self‑worth and identity, independent of external norms or social comparison.”
Motivation
Anyone who’s watched a few ‘SkinnyTok’ videos might wonder why people post these clips in the first place. “Those with an eating disorder, for example,” says Van den Bos, “often upload videos out of their own vulnerability because they seek confirmation and acceptance of their problematic behavior.” Many don’t realize how harmful their messages can be. It becomes a vicious cycle: others are unintentionally influenced, and because they’re then continually exposed, they begin to see it as normal.”
Another group promoting unhealthy diets on social media are influencers. Van den Bos explains: “Sensational claims and extreme examples grab attention – and attention brings followers, and followers eventually bring money. The algorithm then helps to spread the message. In that sense, it’s a collaboration between the influencer and the algorithm. With some fitness or ‘thinfluencers’, the message is directly tied to products. Then the motivation is completely clear.”
Moral judgement
What does the ‘SkinnyTok’ trend tell us about today’s society? According to Van den Bos, social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram foster a culture in which appearance increasingly determines success and status. He sees an obsession with self‑control and discipline: “Controlling your eating is viewed as a sign of moral strength and self‑restraint.”
There’s another moral judgment hidden in these videos: anyone who doesn’t constantly try to improve themselves isn’t doing well. “You may pursue self‑optimization out of personal motivation,” he says, “but social media also promote a culture of competition and comparison.”
Karatziou points out that her thoughts about dieting and body ideals aren’t her own but ideas she absorbs from the photos and videos. She finds them unrealistic and unhealthy for women. “How many calories we should consume depends on our cycle. Women experience hormonal fluctuations throughout the month. When we notice cravings, our body is telling us it needs fuel. We need to listen to that.”
