TikTok Suspends Accounts Over Concerns of Triggering Eating Disorders
An influencer who boasted a gaunt figure with bones visible through the skin and introduced extreme diets to subscribers was banned from the short-form streaming platform TikTok.
On the 7th (local time), the New York Post reported that TikTok suspended influencer Liv Schmidt's (22) account at the end of last month. The reason was that Schmidt created content that could trigger eating disorders in viewers.
Schmidt is a well-known beauty and diet influencer famous for her skeletal, almost bone-exposed thin body. She gained popularity domestically for her extreme diet known as the so-called 'ppyeomalra (a body so thin that bones are visible) diet,' with her subscriber count reaching 700,000.
In her videos, she shared her slim figure and revealed tips related to body shape maintenance and dieting. Some of the video titles she posted include "How to Stop Emotional Eating at a 9-5 Job," "How to Avoid Freshman 15," and "Having a Special Beauty Through Thinness." She also introduced methods for rapid weight loss in a short period.
However, some expressed concerns that her advice was excessively dangerous to mental and physical health. There were also criticisms that she was encouraging abnormal eating habits to her subscribers. In particular, some netizens suffering from eating disorders continuously warned that Schmidt's videos were problematic. Schmidt reportedly posted a diet consisting only of protein shakes and electrolyte drinks, calling it "a thin girl's breakfast."
Schmidt claims that wearing children's clothing can save on clothing purchase costs. [Image source=TikTok capture]
TikTok has explicitly prohibited content promoting eating disorders through its community guidelines, as it can negatively affect the mental health of teenagers who are easily influenced by media content. Previously, in Korea, controversies arose over diet influencers as several social networking service (SNS) posts positively endorsing so-called 'pro-ana' (anorexia-like dieting) appeared.
Ultimately, TikTok suspended Schmidt's account. However, Schmidt reportedly opposed TikTok's action, saying she felt "confused and unfairly treated." In an interview with the U.S. financial newspaper The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), she emphasized, "I prefer a slim body because it is beautiful," and added, "Weight is a sensitive topic, but viewers want it. That is not wrong."
Eventually, Schmidt created a new TikTok account. On this account, she sold protein shakes and health supplements through a personal sales channel and even filmed herself wearing children's clothing. Schmidt claimed, "Designers sell adult T-shirts for $1,000 (about 1.34 million KRW), but children's T-shirts are only $200 (about 260,000 KRW)."
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