TikTok blocks #SkinnyTok hashtag following French government pressure
TikTok blocked the #SkinnyTok hashtag globally after the French government, led by Digital Minister Clara Chappaz, pressured the platform to remove content promoting extreme thinness and unhealthy weight loss practices. The hashtag had accumulated over 500,000 posts primarily targeting young women, though similar harmful content reportedly persists under variant hashtag names.
What happened
TikTok blocked search results for the hashtag #SkinnyTok globally following pressure from the French government. The hashtag had accumulated over half a million posts that glorified extreme thinness and shared unhealthy weight loss advice, often targeting young women.
French Digital Minister Clara Chappaz publicly raised concerns about the content in April 2025 and met with TikTok's Trust and Safety team in Dublin. Users searching for #SkinnyTok are now redirected to a message with a link to the National Alliance for Eating Disorders.
Reported impact
The hashtag promoted toxic body image standards and eating disorder-related behaviours among young audiences. Experts warned that harmful content continues to circulate under modified or misspelled hashtag variants despite the ban.
Charlyne Buiges, a nurse specialising in eating disorders who launched a petition that raised public awareness, described the ban as validation of her efforts. Ella Marouani, a 22-year-old nursing student, stated that social media had fuelled a struggle with an eating disorder.
Index analysis
The blocking of #SkinnyTok represents a content moderation intervention following regulatory pressure rather than an AI failure itself. The persistence of similarly harmful content under variant hashtags indicates limitations in TikTok's ability to identify and suppress related harmful trends at scale.
Governance controls
The European Commission has conducted a formal investigation into TikTok since February 2024 under the Digital Services Act for potential violations of minor protection obligations. TikTok stated the decision to block #SkinnyTok was part of a regular review of its safety measures.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.