Despite the introduction of strict new rules to curb harmful online content, YouTube is still recommending eating disorder videos to teenage users.

This issue has been recently raised by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) in their research. The non-profit organization created a fake account, which was used to follow a 13-year-old UK girl as she saw a first look at unsafe diet and body image content.

One in 10 of the videos recommended by the algorithm on the platform contained extreme calorie restriction, “thinspiration” or other unhealthy content, the study found. Although this marks a significant drop from a four in 10 in 2024, researchers warn that it is still too many for at-risk youth.

It imposed a legal obligation on social media platforms to safeguard minors from harmful material relating to self-harm, eating disorders and suicide. Businesses who are not taking steps to reduce potential dangers associated with algorithms run the risk of fines up to 10% of their total global sales.

The UK Communications Commission (Ofcom) has recently said that video-sharing services are still failing to provide adequate protection for children and are urging further, more proactive, measures to be put in place.

Algorithmic suggestions make a difference in the lives of many young people. Jazmin Kaur, 22, from Leicester, was diagnosed with anorexia at the age of 13. It started innocently enough with a desire to get healthy, but was hugely worsened by extreme online content, which led to six years of NHS treatment.

Jazmin said some of the online content was helpful, but often she would get extreme content that exploited her weaknesses. At some point, she took her social media accounts and deleted them all so she could look after her mental health, and now she is taking courses to become a Pediatric Nurse.

Corporate Accountability and Future Legislation

YouTube’s parent company, Google, responded to the CCDH findings by stating its “steadfast commitment” to preventing the proliferation of harmful content. A spokesman for the company told AFP that the videos mentioned in the report have been taken down because they violated community standards.

The platform explicitly bans content that teaches about eating disorders and also has created a series of curated expert videos to show when people search for sensitive mental health content. But an alarming weakness in the CCDH study was revealed; none of the videos promoting dangerous eating habits that the algorithm pushed towards users were connected to a “crisis panel,” which is supposed to channel the user towards reputable support.

The connection between social media and mental health is very complicated. Vanessa Longley, CEO of eating disorder charity Beat, said supportive online communities help to cut down on isolation, but about 90% of those they help say they come across negative content online.

Users have options to use time limits and block unwanted accounts, but advocates argue that these platforms ultimately should be responsible for making their sites safe. To ensure children are better protected, the government recently announced that it will be restricting access for under-16s to major social media platforms, with new measures to be implemented in spring 2027.