How social media in China shapes eating disordersCEFR B2
15 Apr 2026
Adapted from Lina Ma, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Declan Sun, Unsplash
Social media platforms in China have changed how eating disorders are formed and shared online. On sites such as Xiaohongshu, users employ terms like "ED" and coded labels such as "ED 女" or "CT" (Cui Tu, induced vomiting) to join semi-hidden communities. Within these groups, extreme thinness is often framed as a disciplined lifestyle and a way to belong rather than as a medical issue.
Posts that track strict routines are common. Some users post headers such as "160 cm/33 kg" or "160/29 kg daily intake" and regular check-ins that record weight and calories — for example, "Day 12: 500 kcal, no carbs, stayed strong." Comment threads frequently praise restriction and treat it as willpower. Communities also use coded symbols: emojis such as a rabbit (tù) to mean vomiting and abbreviations like "ct" and "jc" (jieshi, dietary restriction). Visual images of very thin bodies and trends such as the A4 waist challenge (which emerged in 2016) circulate as aspirational content. Younger users sometimes share methods to hide disordered eating from parents or schools.
Platforms do moderate some content, but keyword-based systems can be bypassed. Similar dynamics have appeared globally; for example, the SkinnyTok trend on TikTok idealised extreme thinness until the hashtag and prominent influencers were banned in June 2025, yet unhealthy content persisted. Research shows the population of Chinese teenagers with eating disorders has almost doubled in the past three decades. More recent studies report that more than 21 per cent of Chinese teenagers showed signs of eating disorders and more than 11 per cent suffered symptoms that carry clinical significance, with highest risk among females aged 15 to 19 from lower-income families and poorer regions.
Experts and media warn that removal alone is not enough. Addressing the problem requires a better understanding of how online communities shape norms and positive measures to support teenagers through schools, families and wider society.
Difficult words
- code — use symbols or secret signs to represent informationcoded
- bypass — avoid a rule, system, or obstaclebypassed
- aspirational — showing desire to achieve higher social status
- clinical — related to medical diagnosis or treatment
- moderate — control or limit content or behaviour
- restriction — a rule or action that limits something
- significance — importance or meaning of results or effects
- emerge — become known or start to appearemerged
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Why might online communities present extreme thinness as a disciplined lifestyle rather than a medical problem? Give reasons from the article.
- What practical steps could schools and families take to support teenagers affected by these online communities?
- Do you think removing unhealthy content from platforms is enough to stop these trends? Why or why not?
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