“The main difference is how much more covert TikTok is about it compared to Tumblr. Two such trends that have emerged on the app are “body checking” videos (involving frequent, compulsive checking of appearance in the mirror or of the circumference of body parts) and “what I eat in a day” videos, which can encourage extreme restriction. This means teenagers may be exposed to pro-ana content without realizing they are entering a dangerous algorithmic rabbit hole. While pro-ana hashtags are an obvious way to spot harmful content, the nature of pro-ana content can often be insidiously disguised as “thinspo” tips or wellness trends to promote healthier living. While TikTok officially does not allow content promoting or glorifying eating disorders, last year The Guardian found a variety of harmful pro-anorexia hashtags remained searchable on the app. With teenagers and children spending more time online than ever before, it appears to be more than coincidental that in less than a decade, the rate of eating disorders had risen by 119% in kids under 12. TikTok is largely known as the social platform for young people and teenagers - about 60% of users are Generation Z - making the issue of pro-ana content on the app particularly pressing as it’s reaching a wide young and impressionable audience. However, more recently, it’s been the video-sharing app TikTok that is slowly becoming the home base for this harmful content. MySpace, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, and Reddit all face pro-ana problems, with a recent report finding that Instagram still fails to protect people at risk for eating disorders from pro-anorexia messaging. In fact, the issue became so prevalent that in 2012, Tumblr announced it officially prohibited blogs "that actively promote self-harm," with policy changes moderating blogs that "glorify or promote anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders." Despite this intention, pro-ana communities (short for pro-anorexia, a subculture that promotes eating disorders) have still found a place on the site and across all social channels. If you were on Tumblr during the 2000s, you’ll know that among the pseudo-artsy black and white photography, memes, and scene hairstyles, the platform had an issue with self-harming content.
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