Short TikTok Exposure Alters Women's Body Image

The findings of recent research are alarming in terms of the impact of short TikTok exposure on women’s body image. In this study, 273 18-28-year-old women watched either pro-anorexia and weight loss videos or different nature, comedy, and cooking-related TikToks. As little as ten minutes of such interaction has shown significant differences in the way women perceived their appearance, and girls who saw anorexia-triggering videos turned out to have the least satisfaction. The fact of being exposed for such a short time emphasizes the vast influence of social media on users’ self-esteem and body really being, as well as it reveals a painful trend of setting unattainable standards of beauty.

The platform’s response includes banning harmful videos and spreading body-positive messages on the app intended to help young people and even recover from eating disorders organizations such as The Butterfly Foundation partner TikTok. Seemingly urgent measures are undertaken to protect underage users like 13-year-old Kaya Jaski, who developed an eating disorder due to social media exposure. While these initiatives may be seen as an important first step toward safeguarding future generations, the role and responsibility of adults should not be ignored. Some countries are already considering banning social media for underage children, and as the problem persists, humanity may have to adopt such drastic measures.