A few days after France, the Belgian government warned the European Commission on the cult of thinness that is enraged in Tiktok’s videos, considering “insufficient” the measures taken by the social network against this “great danger” for adolescents.
This French -speaking centrist found it necessary to intervene more “as summer approaches, a sensitive period for self -esteem.”
Foster eating disorders
Matz Matz aims in particular Tiktok publications, owned by the Chinese group, with keywords such as “skinny” (thin “in English) or” skinnytok “, which despite the appearance of prevention strips were still visible by hundreds of thousands in these days in the network.
These videos, mainly embodied by young women, contain tips to lose weight, sometimes comments to associate beauty with bone contours in the body.
They are accused of “promoting” eating disorders (TCA). In Belgium, 15% of women from 10 to 64 have a suspicion of TCA (11% for men), according to the Institute of Public Health of Scieno.
Specifically, the Belgian minister confiscated the telecommunications regulator in Belgium, the IBPT, responsible for transmitting his recriminations to the European Commission, as well as the Irish regulator, which acts as a European Digital Platform Coordinator. Like other important actors in the sector, Google, for example, Tiktok has its European headquarters in Dublin.
Belgium takes over other EU countries, including France, which has already required a strengthening of Brussels pressure on large digital platforms to comply with European rules for the protection of users decreed in the DSA (“Digital Services Law”).
This European regulation, which has entered into force in February 2024, forced online platforms to respect the rules existing in national or European law, under a penalty of heavy sanctions. Already in February 2024, the European Commission announced the opening of an investigation aimed at Tiktok, for alleged deficiencies in terms of protection of minors.
Source: BFM TV
