YouTube still recommends eating‑disorder videos to teens despite UK safety rules

Research by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) created a simulated 13‑year‑old profile and found that YouTube’s Up Next algorithm still suggests harmful eating‑disorder content to teenage users. One in ten of the next 100 videos recommended featured thin‑spiration, extreme calorie restriction or other unsafe material – an improvement from one in four in a similar test two years earlier.

The study, repeated with teen profiles in the United States and the European Union, produced comparable results. CCDH senior research manager Alexandra Johnson said, “One video is too many and we don’t want any of this content to get through, particularly to vulnerable users, where just a small algorithmic nudge can be enough to push them into a very dangerous situation.”

The findings follow UK regulator Ofcom’s criticism of platforms and come after the Online Safety Act came into force in July 2025, giving sites like YouTube a legal duty to protect under‑18s from harmful content and exposing them to fines of up to 10 % of global revenue. Google, which owns YouTube, said it remains “steadfast” in removing such videos and in safeguarding young people.