Instagram bans pro-anorexic content

Rappler.com

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The app pulls the stops on photos that may promote unhealthy self-image.

"THINSPIRATION." Photo shows British celebrity and fashion icon Alexa Chung (right) with a friend in an Instagram photo. Photo courtesy of The Huffington Post.

PALO ALTO, California – Facebook’s recent acquisition, Instagram, has updated its community guidelines to prohibit content which promote or glorify self-harm such as eating disorders and suicide. According to their website, tags such as “thinsipiration” (a term coined from “thin” and “inspiration”) and “probulimia” will no longer be searchable. Accounts which encourage these activities would also be disabled.

This addition can now be found in their Community Guidelines:

“Don’t promote or glorify self-harm: While Instagram is a place where people can share their lives with others through photographs, any account found encouraging or urging users to embrace anorexia, bulimia, or other eating disorders; or to cut, harm themselves, or commit suicide will result in a disabled account without warning. We believe that communication regarding these behaviors in order to create awareness, come together for support and to facilitate recovery is important, but that Instagram is not the place for active promotion or glorification of self-harm.”

LEGS TOO THIN. Chung's deleted Instagram photo shows off her "trademark" skinny legs.

The Instagram ”thinspiration” controversy was sparked by British model Alexa Chung’s Instagram photo which she soon deleted after receiving a lot of flak from other users who commented that her legs were “disgustingly skinny” and that she was being a “terrible example” to her young fans.

Other social networking and photo-sharing platforms like Tumblr and Pinterest have also previously released proclamations which aim to ban pro-self-harm content on their sites. – Rappler.com

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