YouTube's Anorexia Algorithm

CCDH created test accounts simulating a 13-year-old girl with no prior viewing history and tracked 1,000 subsequent video recommendations generated by YouTube's algorithm after the account watched a single eating-disorder-related video.

Researchers found that one in three recommended videos concerned harmful eating-disorder content capable of deepening an existing condition or body-image anxiety, with about two-thirds of recommendations related to eating disorders or weight loss generally; some recommendations also pointed toward self-harm and suicide content. Ads from major brands, including Nike, T-Mobile, and Hello Fresh, appeared alongside this material. When researchers reported the videos, YouTube failed to remove or age-restrict roughly 80% of them.

The report situates these findings against rising eating-disorder prevalence and teen mental-health statistics, concluding that YouTube's recommendation algorithm actively steers vulnerable young users toward harmful content despite the platform's public safety commitments, and that its moderation response to reports is largely inadequate.