The European Commission is intensifying its scrutiny of TikTok amid growing concern over “SkinnyTok” — an algorithm-driven content stream that targets minors and promotes extreme thinness and potentially harmful eating habits.
SkinnyTok has become a hot spot for videos glamorizing rapid weight loss, “what I eat in a day” posts with dangerously low calorie counts, and body comparison clips, often served up automatically by TikTok’s recommendation system.
Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said at a Tuesday press briefing that an investigation is underway. “We’re very well aware of the issue of this trend on TikTok,” he said. “How we deal with harmful algorithms, especially when they target minors, is already part of the investigation that we opened last year in February.”
That EU investigation probes TikTok’s compliance with the Digital Services Act, including how its algorithms may facilitate the spread of content linked to eating disorders. “We’re in exchanges with the member states,” Regnier said, adding that the EU executive “take[s] this of course very seriously to protect our children.”
As the pressure mounts, the Commission’s next steps could set a precedent for how tech platforms are held accountable for harm caused by algorithms.
TikTok didn’t reply to a request by POLITICO for comment.
The post EU reviews TikTok’s ‘SkinnyTok’ content for risks to minors appeared first on Politico.
