YouTube continues to recommend videos that promote eating disorders to teenagers, according to a recent study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). The findings indicate that despite new regulations aimed at protecting young users in the UK, the platform's algorithms are still surfacing harmful content.
Researchers identified several examples of problematic videos still being recommended, including content from a "thinspiration" account that showcased compilations of girls idealizing extreme thinness. Another video promoted a diet with a daily intake of only 170 calories, significantly below healthy levels for teenagers. The study also flagged a video claiming to help users lose weight subliminally, which linked to external content promising an "emaciated skeletal dainty body."
The study also examined YouTube's crisis panels, a feature designed to provide links to reputable support services for users viewing sensitive content. In 2026, the CCDH found that none of the harmful eating disorder videos recommended by the algorithm triggered these crisis panels. Warnings did appear on other diet and body image videos, but these were not classified as potentially dangerous by the CCDH.
Alexandra Johnson, senior research manager at CCDH, noted that the report shows regulation can have an impact but emphasized that "one video is too many." She stated concern that algorithmic nudges could push vulnerable users into dangerous situations.
Google, the parent company of YouTube, maintains that it prohibits content encouraging or providing instructions on eating disorders, while also enabling the sharing of recovery stories. A YouTube spokesperson stated that the platform removed the videos featured in the CCDH report for violating community guidelines. The company emphasized that viewer well-being is a top priority and that it collaborates with experts to refine its mental health approach. YouTube has also introduced curated videos from experts that appear when teen accounts search for topics like depression or eating disorders.
The CCDH focused its research on YouTube due to its significant popularity among children and young people, with Ofcom data indicating that 88% of individuals aged 3 to 17 use the platform.