Just 8 minutes on TikTok can lead to negative body image for young women: Study

Spending just eight minutes on TikTok is enough for young women to question their own body image, according to a controlled study that highlighted the scourge of content harmful to youngsters on the video-sharing platform.

The study titled '#ForYou? the impact of pro-ana TikTok content on body image dissatisfaction and internalisation of societal beauty standards' was co-authored by Madison R Blackburn and Rachel C Hogg.

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Researchers created two focus groups, one of which showed TikTok content on dieting, weight loss and exercise. This isbroadly known as 'pro-ana' or pro-anorexia content which glorifies disordered eating practices.

The aim of the study was to find out the link between time spent on TikTok and disordered eating behaviours.

How the study was done

A group of 273 women in the 18–28 age group were divided into two groups. One group was given pro-anorexia content, while the other was given neutral content from TikTok.

Then the women were made to answer questionnaires to find out what they thought about their bodies after watching the content.

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"Women exposed to pro-anorexia content displayed the greatest decrease in body image satisfaction and an increase in internalisation of societal beauty standards," said the study published in PLOS One journal. "Women exposed to neutral content also reported a decrease in body image satisfaction."

The study found that those categorised as high and extreme daily TikTok users reported greater average disordered eating behaviour than participants with low and moderate use.

Participants who used TikTok for over two hours per day "reported more disordered eating behaviours than less frequent users," the authorssaid but pointed out that this was not statistically significant.

The pro-ana videos had shown young content creators in the so-called 'fitspiration' category showing how they cut on their diets and give fitness, workout and food tips and advice. The hacks like juice cleanses for weight loss were included in the content.

What is content internalisation?

Besides having the biggest fall in body image satisfaction, those who watched pro-ana content also 'internalised' the beauty standards more.

While watching potentially harmful content does not necessarily lead to harm, it is the 'internalisation' of this content that is dangerous, according to the study. Internalisation happens when someone accepts and identifies with external beauty standards, it pointed out.

There is a multitude of habits and hacks being pushed on TikTok, like detoxing with juices, and clean or limited diets in the name of wellness, with hashtags like #GymTok and #FoodTok. Disorderly eating content included binge eating, laxative use or excessive exercise, said the study.

(With inputs from agencies)