Concern grows over TikTok app algorithms and youth mental health
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel gives his assessment on the mental health effects the popular video-sharing app has on teens on 'Fox News Live.'
TikTok blocked the potentially harmful #legginglegs hashtag from its platform after the craze was accused of promoting unrealistic beauty standards, and replaced it with resources aimed at aiding those grappling with eating disorders.
"You're not alone," the site says. "If you or someone you know is having a hard time, help is always available."
The trend went viral as fit influences showed off their thigh gaps in tight yoga pants, showcasing a societal "ideal" of what perfect legs should look like in leggings.
The TikTok app logo is seen in this illustration taken August 22, 2022. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo)
The online trend was criticized from women who argued it made others feel insecure.
Holly Essler, a therapist, found the trend "repulsing."
"Basically it's a trend saying that if you have leggings and you wear leggings your legs have to look a certain way in them," she said in a TikTok video. "Again, this is disgusting. Do not let social media tell your body that it is a trend. If you have a body and you have leggings, you have legging legs. Be proud, be confident."
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Users on the platform voiced their concerns that the trend promotes unhealthy body image and disordered eating. (iStock)
Another TikTok enthusiast, Tabitha Swatosh, wrote candidly about her journey towards body acceptance after yearning to get that sought-after thigh gap other girls had, telling younger girls today to "love your body."
"I remember when I used to be obsessed with the idea of having a ‘thigh gap’ (legging legs) in middle school and highschool," she captioned her own TikTok video.
"For a LONG time i tried everything to have small legs, a thigh gap, and a tiny waist. Truth is, not everyone is built the same. I was trying to achieve a body type that alot of girls naturally taller and thinner than me had. I am 5’2 and my legs will always be bigger. They will always touch. I really wish i would not have put my young self through so many health issues for legs that had an inch between them."
In the comments of both videos, women railed against social media for setting unrealistic standards and disordered eating.
"Legging legs doesn’t exist, they are just legs, social media is so stupid for making things like that up," one person wrote.
Another chimed in on Swatosh's video with, "I’m a decade older [than you] and I never got over the damage the thigh gap and ultra skinny of the late 00s did to me. Same height and hate my legs."
The trend coincides with concerns that social media is a treacherous landscape for many, particularly minors. Big Tech CEOs faced grilling on Capitol Hill last week for allegedly allowing content harmful to kids on their platforms.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was one of the CEOs.
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