TikTok Updates Content Rules To Combat Eating Disorders, Protect LGBTQ Users
Christian Hetrick is dot.LA's Entertainment Tech Reporter. He was formerly a business reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and reported on New Jersey politics for the Observer and the Press of Atlantic City.
TikTok is “strengthening” its policies to combat some of the harmful content plaguing the fast-growing social media site.
The Culver City-based video platform announced new rules Tuesday aimed at preventing viral hoaxes, shielding the LGBTQ community from harassment and removing videos promoting unhealthy eating. The updated “community guidelines” come as TikTok, which surpassed 1 billion monthly users last year, faces more scrutiny over its content moderation.
A Wall Street Journal report in December found that TikTok’s recommendation algorithm flooded teenage users with eating disorder videos, which prescribed tips such as how to consume only a few hundred calories per day. At the time, the company said it would adjust its algorithm to avoid showing users too much of the same content.
Cormac Keenan, TikTok’s head of trust and safety, wrote in a blog post Tuesday that the platform already removes videos promoting eating disorders. Now, the platform will take down content promoting “disordered eating,” or unhealthy eating behaviors that may not be diagnosed as an eating disorder. Keenan cited overexercise or short-term fasting as examples.
“This is an incredibly nuanced area that's difficult to consistently get right, and we're working to train our teams to remain alert to a broader scope of content,” Keenan wrote.
TikTok on Tuesday also explicitly banned misogyny, misgendering and deadnaming (using a transgender person’s former name). It formally prohibited content that supports conversion therapy programs, as well. The company noted that it recently enabled users to add their preferred gender pronouns to their accounts.
Additionally, the company said it’s taking a stricter approach toward videos promoting dangerous acts and challenges. For instance, a viral challenge in which people tried to climb a stack of milk crates was considered so dangerous that TikTok banned the hashtag associated with it. TikTok said rules about such content will now be highlighted in a separate policy with more details, so that creators can more easily understand them.
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Christian Hetrick is dot.LA's Entertainment Tech Reporter. He was formerly a business reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and reported on New Jersey politics for the Observer and the Press of Atlantic City.
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