TikTok is filled with diet and fitness advice, but not all of it is healthy. And some of it may be quietly warping the way you view your body.
Think “What I Eat in a Day” videos that look more like a fast than a meal, extreme workout routines, body checking clips and other content promoting the message that thin is good and restriction is aspirational. This is the dark corner of social media known as #SkinnyTok ― a hashtag that the platform recently banned to curb harmful “thinspiration” content.
“#SkinnyTok is a space online where thinness is idealized, often through quiet visuals, body checks or aesthetic posts that subtly promote one body type,” said neuropsychologist Sanam Hafeez. “These videos rarely say much directly, but they send a strong message through tone, music and angles. They get shared fast because they tap into insecurities that already exist.”
Despite the hashtag ban, this type of unhealthy content lives on. And experts say the insidious media fuels harmful comparison cycles, unrealistic beauty ideals and disordered behaviors that can erode someone’s relationship with food, exercise and their own body.
“These videos often glorify extreme thinness, meal skipping and restrictive behaviors ― and they wrap it all in a polished, aspirational aesthetic that’s incredibly appealing, especially to young people,” said Morgan Fereck, a lead dietitian with OnPoint Nutrition. “They’re short, engaging and algorithmically rewarded, which means once you engage with even one, you’re likely to be fed a steady stream of similar content. For teens and young adults, who are still forming their identities and self-worth, this can be especially harmful.”
Here’s how to know if this content is messing with your mental health, and what to do about it.
You feel ‘less than’ after scrolling.
“Watching ‘SkinnyTok’ often can slowly change how a person sees their body,” Hafeez said, noting that this kind of content presents a narrow idea of what beauty looks like by depicting one body type and implying that others aren’t good enough.
“It can lead to comparing every little part of the body to what’s seen online,” she added. “That comparison builds shame, especially if someone already feels insecure.”
It’s particularly difficult when thinness is constantly presented as the ideal for comparison.
“Social media is full of illusions and many younger people don’t realize that what they are seeing isn’t factual,” said registered dietitian nutritionist Shana Minei Spence. “Many videos and images are edited and also what is seemingly just monitoring food is actually disordered eating or even an eating disorder which can cause physical harm.”
If you’ve caught yourself comparing your body to influencers online and feeling like you fall short, pay attention.
“A red flag is feeling anxious or ashamed after scrolling through health or fitness content,” Fereck noted.
You’ve started obsessing over food, calories or your appearance.
“Some of the earliest signs are easy to miss because they’re so often praised in our culture ― things like obsessively tracking calories or macros,” Fereck said.
Constant “body checking” in the mirror is also an issue.
“Warning signs include becoming preoccupied with appearance, body size, weight, food or exercise in a way that worsens one’s quality of life,” said Dr. Jason Nagata, an associate professor of pediatrics in the division of adolescent and young adult medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
Pay attention to how often you think about these things while you’re awake. Erin Parks, the co-founder and chief clinical officer at Equip Health, often asks people how often they’re thinking about food and then how often they want to be thinking about food.
“I ask the same questions about how often they’re thinking about their bodies and how often they want to be,” she said. “The delta between those numbers helps you start noticing that your brain is preoccupied with your body ― and that’s brain space you’re not spending thinking about your hobbies, your relationships and just being present in the moment and enjoying your life.”
You feel guilt or shame after eating.
Feeling bad for eating certain foods or getting anxious after a missed workout isn’t a sign of dedication. It could be a red flag.
“There can be a shift in mood or self-worth tied directly to body image,” Hafeez explained. “Over time, food may become something to fear or control instead of something that gives energy and joy. People restrict too much or feel guilty after eating. These changes can lead to disordered eating or even serious eating disorders. The biggest risk is that these thoughts become normal and hard to unlearn.”
You skip meals or change your eating habits in secret.
“Red flags include skipping meals or fasting to ‘make up’ for eating,” Fereck noted.
Someone might also view exercise purely as a way to “burn off” the calories they’ve consumed. Food becomes something to be earned, and eating less is always better.
“A person may start to avoid eating around others or change their eating habits in secret,” Hafeez added.
MementoJpeg via Getty Images
A big red flag that unhealthy content is impacting your mind is feeling guilt or shame around food and exercise.
Your world feels smaller.
“If your world is starting to shrink because of food rules or body image distress, that’s not health ― it’s harm,” Fereck said.
People struggling with the harmful effects of #SkinnyTok may find themselves avoiding social events based on their perception of how they look.
“They may withdraw from their usual activities or friends because of concerns with body size and appearance,” Nagata noted.
The potential presence of food can also impact how they choose to spend their days.
“Someone may avoid social events that involve food, such as dinners or birthday celebrations,” said Samantha DeCaro, the director of clinical outreach and education at The Renfrew Center.
“Sometimes the person can no longer eat in front of other people, or they feel really self-conscious going out to a restaurant,” added Kara Becker, a therapist and national director of eating disorder programs for Newport Healthcare. “Any interference with someone’s daily functioning would be something that we would really look at.”
Your feelings of success and accomplishment are tied to your weight.
“This type of content often reduces the concept of health to the shape and size of the body,” DeCaro said. “Weight is not a reliable measure of health or wellbeing. Health, both physical and psychological, is much broader and more complex than that.”
She added that #SkinnyTok-type content sends the false message that you need to be thin in order to be liked, loved, respected or successful.
“Sometimes a person’s self-worth seems to be heavily tied to their weight or appearance,” said Tess Quesenberry, a physician assistant specializing in psychiatry at Coastal Detox of Southern California.
In these situations, they might also experience mood swings with increased anxiety and irritability.
“These trends perpetuate the misconception that thinness equates to health, virtue, and discipline, while larger bodies are unfairly associated with laziness, shame, or inadequacy,” DeCaro said. “Weight will never accurately reflect a person’s health, character or value.”
You moralize food choices.
“You might start moralizing food choices ― good food vs. bad food,” Fereck said. “Many people begin thinking their value is tied to their ability to restrict, and that’s how eating disorders can quietly take root.”
She noted that some people might find themselves avoiding certain foods more and more often because someone online labeled them as “toxic,” “unhealthy” or “bad.”
“If you find yourself demonizing certain foods or food groups and feel the need to ‘earn’ or ‘burn off’ calories, these are signs you could be struggling with disordered eating,” DeCaro said.
You second-guess your hunger cues.
“Disordered eating often requires us to dismiss the body’s internal cues in favor of following a set of external rules dictating what to eat, when to eat or how much to eat,” DeCaro said.
#SkinnyTok videos promote habits and mindsets that impact your relationship with your body’s natural rhythm.
“Exposure to this kind of content can erode someone’s ability to trust their body,” Fereck said. “You might start second-guessing your hunger cues.”
You engage in compulsive exercise.
“A red flag to look for in yourself or a loved one is exercising excessively to burn off calories or as a form of punishment for eating,” Queensberry said. “This can include exercising even when injured or ill.”
At the same time, you might also display a general lack of enjoyment of movement and of other activities you once loved.
“Ask how you’re feeling about movement and whether you feel like you need to move in reaction to what you ate or in order to make your body look a certain way versus moving because you enjoy it and it makes you feel good,” Parks said. “Joyful movement is important, but SkinnyTok content can lead to emotions like guilt, shame and dread associated with movement.”
Food has started to feel like a performance.
If the role of food starts to shift away from nourishing your body, you’ll want to pay attention.
“Another big red flag is when food starts to feel like a performance instead of a part of your life,” Fereck said. “If you’re making choices based more on how they’ll look or be perceived ― rather than how they’ll make you feel ― that’s a signal something might be off.”
How To Stave Off The Harmful Effects Of #SkinnyTok
“Being mindful of the content you are consuming and setting time limits and restrictions on harmful behaviors can help alleviate some of these negative impacts,” Nagata noted.
Limiting screen time and blocking or reporting accounts that push dangerous messages around food and bodies can be helpful.
“Many influencers share health or nutrition advice without proper credentials, often motivated by clicks, followers or sponsorships,” DeCaro said, emphasizing the importance of practicing media literacy and seeking guidance from qualified professionals.
“Remember, your algorithm works for you,” she added. “When you encounter posts rooted in diet culture, mute, block or scroll quickly by them. Follow accounts that share messages of body respect, body diversity and body neutrality, and engage with their content so you’ll hopefully see more on your feed.”
Taking breaks from social media and the endless comparisons is a good way to boost your self-esteem and general mental wellbeing. Remember that people’s feeds are a highlights reel, not a real reflection of day-to-day struggles.
“I would always recommend someone consider how they feel emotionally when they scroll through these things and just kind of check in with themselves,” Becker said. “In addition to breaks from social media, there are also apps with timers that can help you gain more awareness or regulate how much time you’re spending on these platforms.”
Offline, connect with enriching parts of your life that have nothing to do with how you look ― like drawing, reading, hanging out with friends or spending time in nature. Focus on feeling good and reclaim what “healthy” means to you.
“People love the idea of a specific guideline or solution,” said dietitian and fitness specialist Beth Auguste. “But you can’t control your body like it’s a machine. Your body has a symphony of hormones and other internal factors that impact your hunger, fullness and even how many calories you digest from a meal. There is no way to control all of it.”
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Ditch the rigid rules and focus on connecting with your body, rather than trying to control it. Make diet and fitness choices based on your energy, mood, strength and how you want to feel overall.
When it comes to younger people, Nagata also emphasized the role of parents and educators in teaching media literacy and healthy body image, as well as keeping screens away from mealtimes to stave off toxic messaging and social media addiction.
“People with eating disorders should seek professional help,” he added. “They can discuss these issues with a health care provider, school counselor, parent, or teacher. Eating disorders are best supported by an interdisciplinary team including a mental health, medical and nutrition provider.”
