Getting To Know A DietTok Trend That Can Cause Eating Disorders

A skinnytok trend that can trigger eating disorders (TikTok/@tonewmil)

JAKARTA - Social media such as TikTok are always present in the presence of new trends that are widely followed by users. Most recently, a diet trend calledplayTok emerged.

Quoted from Fox News, on Friday, May 2, 2025, this growing trend on TikTok focuses on content that idealizes thin bodies in extreme ways. The nameairTok itself comes from a combination of the words 'skinny' (short) and TikTok.

Content that uses the name hashtag often promotes drastic weight loss. The weight loss is obtained with a strict diet or lifestyle that leads to eating disorder, which can cause the body to lack nutrients.

However, the trend of this strict diet has been highlighted by health experts, namely Dr. Bret Osborn of Florida. He said that the diet could cause serious health problems, especially if it was done by many young people.

This is a crisis that continues to develop and continues to be popularized on social media through the hashtag #SkinnyTok. Young people often long for a slim and thin body shape, they are willing to die to hunger and of course they lack energy and calories, and their bodies become very weak," said Dr. Bret.

Doctor Bret said that adolescents and young malnourished adults can experience hormonal disorders. It can also weaken the immune system, reduce cognitive function, and damage to the developing brain.

The physical impact of malnutrition can also be seen, such as hair loss, decreased bone density, and in severe cases it can permanently damage structurality.

Worship is not something good. It is precisely a form of neglect of a person for nutritional needs. This trend takes advantage of the vulnerability of confidence in young people, especially women, by encouraging them to cut weight, instead of developing," he explained.

Doctor Bret suggested that if people want to weigh ideally, they should go on a healthier diet. Of course by eating nutritious foods and exercising well for the health of the body.