A study finds that most popular online videos about eating and nutrition are often distorted and misleading, causing users to develop eating disorders and devalue their bodies.
Researchers analysed popular videos on TikTok that focused on nutrition and eating well – all of which had more than a billion views when the study began in 2020 – and found that many were based on incorrect information.
The number of people using #tiktok has grown significantly as the app’s user base has grown.
The study found that many popular videos promote dieting and food as a way to stay thin.
Young people are being fed information that portrays a very unreal and misleading picture of what food is like and how to take care of your health.
Being stuck on a diet and wanting to lose weight can be really tough, particularly for the people who use TikTok the most, which are young people!
TikTok gained popularity when it launched in 2018 and began collecting data in 2018. However, there have been criticisms of how the app collects and processes the information it collects.
TikTok will soon offer an only-for-adults option for broadcasting live events.
TikTok is a popular way for teens and young adults to connect with others – including restaurants – and to find out what they can eat.
Surprisingly, many people watch videos glorifying losing weight or focusing on their health.
Professor Lizzy Pope is a keen TikTok user, and she wanted to look into how the app was being used as a source of information on nutrition and eating.
Young users are turning to social media apps like TikTok to see a feed of related videos and search for specific terms they may have used in their research.
Google’s senior vice president says 40% of youngsters turn to social media to find a place to have a quick bite to eat.
TikTok will continue to show content based on its users’ interest, which could make people feel stuck with particular topics and trends.
TikTok is a popular place for young people to share videos about healthy eating and nutrition. They were surprised by how often they discussed topics like weight loss.
Billions of people look at videos about obesity every day on the internet, which says a lot about how important diet culture is in our society.
Young people must think about body image beyond what they see on the internet and be aware of what other people say about their bodies.
Researchers from the University of Vermont found very few expert voices discussing diet and fitness topics on TikTok.
By this, they mean experts in health or nutrition, such as doctors, dieticians or fitness trainers.
Most creators were white, young women and men.
We’ve got to help young people think about their body image and health outside social media, said Professor Pope.
But we need a fundamental rethinking of how we relate to our bodies, food, and health.
It’s about changing the systems that allow people to be healthy, happy and have a good lifestyle.
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