The popular video-sharing app TikTok has decided to increase restrictions on weight loss content on its platform.
The company made the announcement on Wednesday, citing its desire to create a “positive, inclusive, and safe experience.”
Chief among those restrictions include banning ads for fasting apps and weight loss supplements.
Users younger than 18 will no longer be able to see ads for weight loss products. For context, the New York Times estimates that one-third of TikTok’s U.S. users might be under the age of 15.
The company says that, additionally, ads that talk about weight management “cannot promote a negative body image or negative relationship with food.” The app will also apply “stronger restrictions on weight loss and implied weight loss claims,” and “further restrictions to limit irresponsible claims made by products that promote weight loss management or control.”
TikTok will begin pointing users to resources from the National Eating Disorders Association and supporting Weight Stigma Awareness Week.
“As a society, weight stigma and body shaming pose both individual and cultural challenges, and we know that the internet, if left unchecked, has the risk of exacerbating such issues,” said Tara Wadhwa, TikTok U.S.’s safety policy manager. “That’s why we’re focused on working to safeguard our community from harmful content and behavior while supporting an inclusive — and body-positive — environment.”
TikTok has made headlines in recent weeks as the company tries to negotiate the sale of its U.S. operations to a domestic buyer. President Trump said days ago that he agreed to a sale by Oracle and Walmart, but confusion over the nature of the deal and whether it meets the requirements Trump set forth in his threat to ban the app from the United States is still unclear.
