Less than 10 minutes of TikTok may be enough to have a negative impact on women's body image, new research shows.
The study, which sought to fill a gap in research on how TikTok affects women's body standards and self-image, found that pro-anorexia 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 the women watch an eight-minute collection of what the research called "pro-anorexia" or "pro-ana" content, which included excessive exercise, weight-loss advice and imagery of "emaciated figures."
The other half of the group watched eight minutes of videos that covered nature, comedy and cooking topics.
Both groups took questionnaires about eating habits and perception of body image.
Both groups reported having lower body image satisfaction after watching the videos, but those who had watched pro-anorexia content reported a larger dip in satisfaction and were more likely to internalize unrealistic body standards. The study also showed, however, that a greater daily exposure to TikTok did not contribute to increased disordered eating behavior.
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The researchers say their findings nonetheless show that TikTok should do more to protect its viewers from potentially harmful subjects.
"There is a need for more stringent controls and regulations from TikTok in relation to pro-ana content as well as more subtle forms of disordered eating- and body-related content," they wrote.
