TikTok Bans Ads That Promote Dieting, Weight Loss Products And Fasting Apps. We Think It’s A Great Step!
Body positivity is a concept came about after a psychotherapist and an individual who had been receiving a treatment for an eating disorder, founded a website called thebodypositive.org. The idea behind their initiative at that time was fairly simple – “to help people feel good about their bodies by taking the focus off of losing weight through unhealthy diet and exercise efforts.” As the idea grew into a movement, it began focusing on fat acceptance and being healthy at every size. The two ideas that even though regarded as the core competencies of the body positivity campaign, are rarely ever taken into account these days.
With people still indulging in sometimes deliberate, to other times mindless body shaming, we are far from showing any sort of acceptance of any body type that can’t be sported on a magazine cover, or found in the racks of clothing stores easily. The very brands that put slogans of ‘body positivity’ and ‘love yourself the way you are’ on their tees, are the ones selling them in 3 varied sizes. While those who write articles about inclusivity and promoting self love for every shape and size, also go on to put sponsored ads for diet food in the very same piece. And called out for such very similar negligence was TikTok, as it continued to promote ads that urged people to indulge in fat loss supplements. But not anymore, announces TikTok.
On Wednesday, the social media giant said in a statement that it would revamp its policies regarding advertising weight loss and diet products to restrict ads that don’t line up with the “positive, inclusive, and safe experience we strive for on TikTok,” A move that has been made keeping in mind the negative and lasting impact such advertisements leave on the users.
Proud to work for a company that promotes body positivity and protects young people's mental health >
– TikTok is cracking down on weight loss ads that promote “harmful” body images https://t.co/fmPRnjv0mk via @Verge
— Pip (@PhilippaDunjay) September 24, 2020
Also Read : This Doctor’s Note About ‘Wanting Your Figure Back’ To A New Mom Is Exactly What Postpartum Body Shaming Is
TikTok’s stateside Safety Policy Manager Tara Wadhwa shared in her statement that, “These types of ads do not support the positive, inclusive, and safe experience we strive for on TikTok.” The platform, with this decision, will now allow only users above the age of 18 years to come across content and ads around weight loss management products.
With this, the app is also looking at placing a more restricted check on ads with “irresponsible” weight loss claims or those that promote an unhealthy relationship with body image or food. Striving to make the platform, with millions of users, a better place to engage in and take away only the right kind of message from, TikTok’s step towards body positivity seems long due.
TikTok To Ban Ads For Fasting Apps, Dieting & Weight Loss Products To Support Body Positivity https://t.co/639gGZwXnn
— WORLD OF BUZZ (@WORLDOFBUZZ) September 24, 2020
Also partnering with National Eating Disorder Association, it will now help users get in touch with the right kind of support and material and resources. It will also redirect searches and hashtags for unsafe content to the NEDA helpline. The statement made also said, “As a society, weight stigma and body shaming pose both individual and cultural challenges, and we know that the internet, if left unchecked, has the risk of exacerbating such issues. That’s why we’re focused on working to safeguard our community from harmful content and behavior while supporting an inclusive, and body-positive, environment.”
While the app may have been banned in India a couple of months ago, it still engages a million users everyday, and the hope is that other companies follow suit seeing them take such a bold step to propagate the right kind of message for body positivity. After all, it is time we make everyone aware that body positivity is all about keeping healthy and not a number on the scale.
