2024-08-09 20:46:30
Women who spend at least 10 minutes on TikTok a day may have more negative body image and a higher risk of developing an eating disorder, a study from Charles Sturt University in Australia has found.
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TikTok allows users to produce, share and stream short videos. It is the second most downloaded app in 2023 in Canada and around the world. It has received more than two billion downloads since its creation.
To better understand how perceptions of body image can be affected, researchers asked 273 young women, aged 18 to 28, to participate.
Half of them have watched videos with content that evokes eating disorders, including influencers who provide advice on how to lose weight through unhealthy diets, for example.
The other half had to watch clips that had no connection to the topic, namely nature and cute animals.
Affected self-esteem
However, the researchers observed a decrease in satisfaction with body image for both groups after viewing the content. They specify that those who saw more “problematic” videos will experience a greater decrease.
“Young female TikTok users may experience psychological harm even if they are not seeking out body image content and their TikTok use is short-lived,” said Madison Blackburn and Rachel Hogg, authors of the studyin a press release.
When it comes to other social networks, like Facebook and Instagram, experts have chosen to focus on TikTok for a specific reason. The app is centered around video sharing, and according to them, most of the content tends to feature full-body shots, rather than just the face.
“This result suggests that TikTok users may potentially internalize their emotions caused by societal body-related norms to a greater extent than users of other apps,” the authors said.
They also recommend that those who manage the application better manage this type of content.
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