YouTube still recommending eating disorder videos, researchers claim
Alexandra Johnson, CCDH’s senior research manager, said “some hope can be gained” from the report because it shows regulation is having an impact.
“But one video is too much, and we don’t want any of this content to reach vulnerable users, especially where a small algorithmic warning could be enough to push them into a very dangerous situation,” he said.
Content still recommended by YouTube included a “thinspo” (short for thin inspiration) account that showed a compilation of girls idealizing extreme thinness; a video promoting a diet of just 170 calories a day, well below the healthy level for teenagers; and a video linked to a document that claims to help users consciously lose weight and promises “the slimmest skeletal body eva.”
The study also examined crisis panels, a blue box on YouTube that appears below a video about a sensitive topic that can direct users to reputable support services.
In 2026, none of the harmful eating disorder videos recommended by YouTube’s algorithm triggered a crisis panel, but warnings appeared on other diet and body image videos that the CCDH did not classify as potentially dangerous.
Google said it was banning YouTube content that promotes or instructs about eating disorders and “allows people to share their recovery stories.”
CCDH has now removed the videos included in its report for violating community guidelines.
“The health of our viewers is our top priority and we’re working with experts including the NHS, Mind and Mix to improve our approach to mental health,” a YouTube spokesperson said.
The site published hand-picked videos from experts that pop up when a teen account searches for a topic like depression or eating disorders.
CCDH focused on YouTube for its investigation because of the site’s popularity among children and teenagers. Ofcom figures, external It is seen that 88% of those in the 3-17 age group say they use it.
