UVM study finds TikTok perpetuates toxic diet culture among young people

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - A new study from the University of Vermont finds that content viewed on TikTok related to weight can perpetuate a toxic diet culture among teens and young adults on the platform.

The findings are based on a comprehensive analysis of the top 100 videos from 10 popular nutrition, food and weight-related hashtags where each of the top 10 had over a billion views when the study began in 2020.

Lizzy Pope is an associate professor and director of dietetics at UVM’s Department of Nutrition and Food Science. She spoke with our Darren Perron about the study and how parents can help their children navigate this. Watch the video to see their full conversation.

The study was published in PLOS One.

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