Alexandra Johnson, senior research manager at CCDH, said there was “some hope to be gained” from the report as it showed regulation does have an impact.
“But 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,” she said.
Content still being recommended by YouTube included a “thinspo” (short for thinspiration) account showing a compilation of girls idealising extreme thinness; a video which promoted a diet with a daily intake of just 170 calories, far below the healthy level for teens; and a video claiming to help users lose weight subliminally that linked to a document promising “the most emaciated skeletal dainty body eva”.
The study also looked at crisis panels – a blue box on YouTube shown beneath a video on 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, although the warnings did appear on other diet and body image videos the CCDH did not classify as potentially dangerous.
Google said it prohibits YouTube content which encourages or provides instructions on eating disorders “while enabling people to share stories of recovery”.
It has now removed the videos featured in the CCDH report for violating its community guidelines.
“The wellbeing of our viewers is our top priority, and we work with experts including the NHS, Mind and the Mix to refine our approach to mental health,” a YouTube spokeswoman said.
The site has launched specially curated videos from experts which appear when a teen account searches for a topic such as depression or eating disorders.
The CCDH focused on YouTube for its research because of the site’s popularity among children and young people, with Ofcom figures, external showing 88% of 3-17 year olds saying they used it.