Tumblr Revises Policy On Self-Harm Blogs, Targets 'Thinspo' Community

In the wake of the Huffington Post's recent exposé on the rapidly growing teenage "thinspo" community on Tumblr, which promotes and glorifies anorexia and bulimia, the company issued a statement today regarding self-harm blogs.

Until now, Tumblr's policy did not specifically address blogs that promote the acceptability of self-harming practices such as eating disorders, self-mutilation, and suicide, but the new policy would place strict limits on this type of content.

Tumblr wrote in a post on its staff blog: "We are deeply committed to supporting and defending our users’ freedom of speech, but we do draw some limits. As a company, we’ve decided that some specific kinds of content aren’t welcome on Tumblr."

Tumblr has reached out to its own community for input on their proposed course of action, which includes public service announcements that would direct readers to organizations for counsel, such as the National Eating Disorders Association and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

The new content policy, slated to go into effect next week, would operate on two levels. First, it would prohibit the active promotion of self-harming practices. Tumblr states:

Don’t post content that actively promotes or glorifies self-injury or self-harm. This includes content that urges or encourages readers to cut or mutilate themselves; embrace anorexia, bulimia, or other eating disorders; or commit suicide rather than, e.g., seek counseling or treatment for depression or other disorders. Online dialogue about these acts and conditions is incredibly important; this prohibition is intended to reach only those blogs that cross the line into active promotion or glorification. For example, joking that you need to starve yourself after Thanksgiving or that you wanted to kill yourself after a humiliating date is fine, but recommending techniques for self-starvation or self-mutilation is not.

Blogs that currently share this type of content would be given a brief grace period to either edit their posts or remove them from the site. Secondarily, the site would begin to display public service announcements alongside search results for keywords related to self-harm, such as "proana," "thinspo," "thinspiration," "purge," "bulimia," "anorexic," and so on.

The language of the PSAs would be along the following lines: "Eating disorders can cause serious health problems, and at their most severe can even be life-threatening. Please contact the [resource organization] at [helpline number] or [website]."

Responses on Tumblr so far have been mixed. Some have applauded the decision, while others have expressed concern and anger over the proposed monitoring of these communities. One user wrote: "Tumblr is the only place I can express myself. It’s the only place where I feel like people understand and that I feel like I can get through this. If they take this away from me, I’ll have nobody."

Tumblr's announcement comes at a pivotal moment when eating disorders have become a topic of national conversation. Anorexia among teen boys, pro-anorexia blogs on Tumblr, and the growth in incidences of eating disorders among middle-aged women are topics that have recently made headlines. National Eating Disorders Awareness week, which begins next Monday, also serves as a reminder of the seriousness of anorexia and bulimia.

How do you feel about Tumblr's new content policy? Share your thoughts in the comments below or tweet @HuffPostTeen.

Comments

[Monica Olivia Edwards]

05:31 PM on 02/06/2013

THey aren't doing anything about it you know.

[ProtoKat]

09:16 PM on 03/18/2012

Learning about the new policy brings on myriad emotions for me... now 3.5 years in recovery and someone who once frequented such blogs and sites, I can say they were very damaging to my state of mind at the time, to the extent that I really had convinced myself that I was not sick but actually making what I thought of as a "style choice." Getting past that sort of thinking was difficult and certainly perpetuated by what those at the treatment center called "triggers", particularly seeing the numbers posted on these sites and in these blogs.

I can't speak for anyone else as I know everyone's individual experiences are all different, but on a personal level I feel glad to see the policy, if not for what the actual policy does then at least what it represents: recognition of a pervasive problem.

I still have an anonymous blog: I use it to post feelings and thoughts that I'm afraid to share with anyone who knows me, but now I go very much out of my way to avoid posting "triggers" as much as possible should a post deal with my feelings surrounding my eating disorder. I want to be as conscientious as possible. After once being a part of these sites where others would even put down girls for not meeting dangerous criteria and were therefor to be despised... I just feel like it's the very least I could do.

[Katherine Flinn]

05:40 PM on 03/10/2012

"joking that you need to starve yourself after Thanksgiving or that you wanted to kill yourself after a humiliating date is fine,"
No it isn't.

[sg1008]

10:13 AM on 02/27/2012

freedom of expression falls under an umbrella that does not include hurting yourself or others.

[mtobserver]

02:28 PM on 02/25/2012

So if Tumblr wants to get rid of the "harmful" blogs, will they also get rid of the blogs that glorify rape and violence towards women. I've seen images on Tumblr of women with belts around their necks being gang banged. To me that is far more harmful.

[E V]

07:41 PM on 02/24/2012

You have freedom of speech to say what you want - but that doesn't mean everyone else is obligated to provide you a forum in their privately owned spaces. Nuance is key.

[lofttypeofaview]

07:18 PM on 02/24/2012

I wish that these people that intentionally harm themselves, would understand just how healthy they physically were. I have hypoglycemia (low blood sugars), I have to eat even when I'm not hungry just to continue to exist. If I even slept without getting up in the middle of the night to eat, I wouldn't wake again at all. I also have chronic fatigue syndrome and therefore am rarely ever to exercise and I'm only about five pounds from obesity.

[leighalittletyke]

04:42 PM on 02/24/2012

This is the internet, not America. The creators at Tumblr. have a right to limit or prohibit anything they want. That being said, there are thousands upon thousands of sites promoting eating disorders, if they prohibit or limit it on Tumblr. these kids will just go find it somewhere else.

[ewwthatsnasty]

08:11 PM on 02/24/2012

they can go find it elsewhere if they choose. but i applaud tumblr because now they can have a clear conscience that they didn't provide the forum.

[nikkitytom]

03:48 PM on 02/24/2012

Just take a look at our society today ..... and then think about about our relentless insistence on free speech has brought us. And the people who exploit it for evil ..... thus contaminating us even further. Reaching everyone through the internet and the media. What a dreadful world for children to grow up in.

And the media contributes to this at every turn. On one way or another virtually every editor I worked with asked for "dirt" .... without exception. To sneak a positive story into publication required the machinations of a wizard.

[special38x2]

07:58 PM on 02/24/2012

Ditto! I believe the difference between us and them is that we respect and value our freedom of speach, unfortunately these nub nubs are going to create so many problems that there will be a time when more rules and limitations will have to come because of the destructive nature in which people are using this freedom.

[Billdabuilder]

03:48 PM on 02/24/2012

What is a person seeking information on these subjects to do? One needs to know what tricks, techniques etc are being used so they might spot them in everyday life.

[jacksjill]

06:21 PM on 02/24/2012

Totally agree

[Kawasae O Lorenz]

02:54 PM on 02/24/2012

Finally they actually speak out against it. There are tons of posts from the healthy weight loss blogs that ask people to reblog helpline numbers and etc for other users to access. But it's just not enough.

[karen522]

02:47 PM on 02/24/2012

As the mother of a recovered anorexia patient, I was horrified to see "Thinspo" posts. My daughter was hospitalized at 17, and while in treatment learned some new "tricks" from fellow patients. Luckily, she also learned a great deal about herself, and was strong enough to beat this hideous disease. This is no joking matter...it is a matter of life and death, and sufferers do not need a cheering section!

[Karen Conterio]

02:42 PM on 02/24/2012

S.A.F.E. Alternatives aka selfinjury.com provides a “trigger-free” blog/site. We ask that you do not use language containing graphic descriptions of Self Injurious behaviors. Words such as self injury, self harm, and the initials S.I. will be approved. Be mindful of swear words which are inappropriate and offensive to minors and others. This site is monitored and anyone found to continually violate these conditions will be removed from this entire blog site. Please follow S.A.F.E. ALTERNATIVES’ philosophy and help us maintain a “trigger-free” blog. Thank you.

[kcr91316]

02:04 PM on 02/24/2012

I suffered from an eating disorder for 26 years. Not only did it manifest itself into drug addiction when it was not active, but it proved to be futile and detrimental to my future ability to succeed in anything long term. Honestly, anorexia and bulimia are signs that the person will ultimately suffer form additional types of addictions in their life and getting help for the root of the "sadness" is where it needs to start. Society promoting super thin and starvation, etc. is wrong because it's not real. Real women do not look like that, no matter how much they wish they did. I am a strong proponent of exercise, eating healthy and self acceptance. If a parent doesn't address the problem when they have the ability to do so, they will watch a steady decline which will probably get worse and multiply. Take away the computers and talk to your kids, blogging is not the answer.

[Trisha Lynn Dragon]

03:01 PM on 02/24/2012

Mind yourself. If something is not working for you, it simply means it doesn't work for you. If you don't want to blog, then don't. Do not suppose to tell others how to live their own lives and approach their own problems.

The worst thing about "recovered" folks is they convince themselves they know what the hell everyone else needs. You were out of control for 26 years, that says you pretty much don't have a damn thing figured out. I have 24 years of my own to speak from, so it's not criticism from a stranger to the issues.

If we had ANYTHING figured out, we probably wouldn't have 40 decades between us of getting it wrong :P People have their own paths and we have to let them walk it. If they come and ask me what I think about blogging or the repercussions and problems, I'm 100% available. I will never be offering unsolicited advice or opinion because all it does is convince them nobody understands what THEY are going through and they continue to close ranks and it's nearly impossible to reach them.

[Ieatpopplers]

06:07 PM on 02/24/2012

I agree, when I was younger I did not feel comfortable talking to my parents, them approching me and trying to talk to me would have made things far worse. I was better left to "blog" (we didnt call it that then) and share my pain with like minded people.

[mgchemtek]

02:01 PM on 02/24/2012

I disagree that these sites should be taken down. Having suffered from anorexia many years ago, before the computer age, I can tell you that I felt so incredibly alone, which contributed to the depression, which fostered the eating disorder. Anyone who is spending time on these pro-ana sites, either to try and become anorexic or to stay in their disease, obviously has emotional issues...but the site itself didn't give them the issues, they had them to begin with. A normal, healthy, emotionally-supported young woman from a good family background who "stumbles" on one of these sites won't suddenly become anorexic just by viewing the posts there. A young woman who has some or all of the risk factors--temperament, biological predispostion, history of trauma, poor self-image--may stumble on a pro-ana site and become triggered by what she reads there, but look around! Society glorifies skeletal women! Triggers are EVERYWHERE. But...if we're going the censor route, let's pull down ads for fast food, and blogs for foodies who cook with unhealthy comfort food, and what about the drug forums? People are ridiculously blind and hypocritical.

[Robert Cat]

02:30 PM on 02/24/2012

These pro-ana sites are designed to promote anorexia, not support those who have it. They are the last place someone with an eating disorder needs to go. They need to be banned.

Our society does glorify thinness, although only the high fashion industry takes it too far.

There are plenty of celebs who are definitely not thin, JLo, Kim Kardashian, etc.

[misanthropicmonkey]

03:07 PM on 02/24/2012

that's not true, there are unrealistic examples of beauty everywhere, every magazine cover, on television shows and commercials, kim kardashian and j lo may not be anorexic but they are thin, and they are unrealistic examples of beauty as well, god knows how long it takes and much money it takes to keep them looking like that but there's no way a person on an average salary who has to spend most of their time in the labor force can keep up with them

[karen522]

02:52 PM on 02/24/2012

I understand how alone you felt, and realize sharing might be therapeutic. ANAD support groups which are free are in most communities and offer a helping hand to those who are suffering. I don't think the "Thinspo" posts fall into the supportive category. Triggers are everywhere, but blatant acceptance and encouragement are entirely different stories! These sites should be shut down.

[mgchemtek]

08:00 AM on 02/27/2012

Okay, so in your view people who are not in the recovery phase of their disease don't need support or others' validation as to what they're going through. Contrary to popular belief, anorexia isn't something you choose to snap out of.