YouTube still recommending Eating Disorder Videos to Teens

YouTube is still recommending eating disorder and extreme weight-loss videos to teenage users despite new rules designed to protect children from harmful online content.

Research by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found that one in 10 videos recommended to a simulated 13-year-old account contained material linked to thinspiration, extreme calorie restriction or dangerous body image messages.

The findings show that while YouTube has reduced the amount of harmful content reaching young users, its recommendation system can still expose vulnerable teenagers to damaging material.

The research comes after key Online Safety Act duties came into force in July 2025, requiring platforms to take greater responsibility for protecting under-18s from content that encourages eating disorders, self-harm and suicide.

It also raises wider concerns about how algorithms influence what young people see online and whether current safeguards are enough.

Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions with many contributing factors, and online content alone cannot explain why someone develops one.

However, experts warn that repeated exposure to harmful messages about weight, food and appearance can worsen existing vulnerabilities.

Google, which owns YouTube, said it had a “steadfast” commitment to stopping the spread of harmful content and confirmed that the videos highlighted in the report had been removed.

Recommending Harmful Eating Disorder Content

The CCDH investigated whether YouTube’s recommendation system continued to direct young users towards harmful eating disorder and body image content.

Researchers created a simulated account representing a 13-year-old girl in the UK who was viewing unsafe diet and appearance-related videos for the first time.

The account watched 10 videos focused on dieting and body image, replicating the behaviour of a teenager showing interest in that type of content.

They then analysed the next 100 videos suggested through YouTube’s Up Next algorithm.

The research found that one in 10 recommended videos in 2026 contained harmful eating disorder content. This was an improvement compared with the organisation’s previous study in 2024, when one in four recommended videos featured similar material.

The experiment was repeated using teenage profiles in the US and European Union, with similar findings.

Among the videos identified were accounts promoting extreme thinness, dangerous dieting methods and unhealthy approaches to weight loss.

Researchers highlighted one video that promoted a diet involving only 170 calories per day, which is far below a healthy intake for teenagers.

Another video promoted subliminal weight loss and linked to a document promising “the most emaciated skeletal dainty body eva”.

Alexandra Johnson, senior research manager at CCDH, said there was “some hope to be gained” from the report because it showed regulation could have an impact.

She said: “But one video is too many and we don’t want any of this content to get through, particularly to vulnerable users, where just a small algorithmic nudge can be enough to push them into a very dangerous situation.”

The findings suggest that although platforms have strengthened their protections, recommendation systems can still play a role in exposing young users to harmful material.

For people affected by eating disorders, the impact of this content can be significant.

Twenty-two-year-old Jazmin Kaur, from Leicester, was diagnosed with anorexia when she was 13 and spent the next six years receiving NHS treatment.

She said her experience with online content began in a way that seemed harmless.

“It all started quite innocently.”

“I wanted to get fitter, I wanted to get healthier, so I started going online and took social media very much at face value without understanding the facts.”

Jazmin said some online material was useful, but “most of the time it made it a lot worse”.

She added: “Every time I left hospital, I’d have my phone with me and I’d constantly be on it.

“I was fed such extreme content towards the end that I took it for my own vulnerabilities.”

At university, Jazmin decided to delete her social media accounts entirely. She is now studying for a master’s degree in paediatric nursing while working weekends in an adult mental health unit.

How YouTube Algorithms can Push Harmful Content

YouTube’s recommendation algorithm decides which videos appear next by analysing user behaviour, including what people watch, search for and interact with.

The system is designed to keep users engaged by showing them content they may be interested in.

However, researchers warn that this can become harmful when engagement with general dieting or fitness content leads users towards increasingly extreme material.

A teenager searching for advice about exercise or healthy eating may be recommended more videos about weight loss, body image or dieting.

If those recommendations become increasingly extreme, young users may be exposed to content that promotes unhealthy behaviours.

Under the Online Safety Act, platforms such as YouTube now have a legal duty to assess how their algorithms could expose children to harmful content and take steps to reduce those risks.

Companies that fail to meet these responsibilities can face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue. For major technology companies, this could amount to billions of pounds.

The CCDH also examined YouTube’s crisis panels, which appear beneath some sensitive videos and direct users towards trusted support services.

Researchers found that none of the harmful eating disorder videos recommended by YouTube triggered a crisis panel. However, warnings did appear on some other diet and body image videos that were not classified as harmful by the study.

The findings come after Ofcom warned that YouTube and TikTok were still not doing enough to protect young people online and called for stronger safeguards.

YouTube has introduced additional measures, including specially curated videos from experts that appear when teenagers search for topics such as depression or eating disorders.

The platform remains one of the most popular online services among young people, with Ofcom figures showing that 88% of 3 to 17-year-olds use YouTube.

How Young People can Reduce Exposure to Harmful Online Content

Experts say the relationship between social media and eating disorders is complex.

Online platforms can provide valuable support, education and communities, but they can also expose users to harmful messages about appearance, dieting and weight.

Vanessa Longley, chief executive of eating disorder charity Beat, said positive online communities could help reduce isolation, particularly when many people face difficulties accessing NHS treatment.

However, she said around 90% of people the charity speaks to report encountering harmful content online.

Beat recommends that users take steps to manage what appears on their feeds.

This includes turning off notifications, using tools that limit time spent online, selecting the “not interested” option on unwanted content, and blocking or reporting accounts that share harmful material.

Longley said responsibility ultimately lies with social media companies to ensure their platforms are safe.

Google said YouTube prohibits content that encourages or provides instructions on eating disorders “while enabling people to share stories of recovery”.

A YouTube spokesperson said: “The wellbeing of our viewers is our top priority, and we work with experts including the NHS, Mind and the Mix to refine our approach to mental health.”

The company said it had removed the videos featured in the CCDH report for violating its community guidelines.

In June, the government announced plans to prevent under-16s from accessing major platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and X. The measures are expected to come into force in spring 2027.

The research shows that online safety rules can influence how platforms respond to harmful content, but preventing vulnerable young users from encountering it remains a challenge.

YouTube has reduced the amount of eating disorder material reaching teenage recommendation feeds, yet researchers warn that even limited exposure can have serious consequences.

The responsibility for safer online spaces does not sit solely with young people or parents.

Technology companies will face increasing pressure to prove that their algorithms and safety measures are protecting children in practice, not just meeting regulatory requirements.