Urgent TikTok alert to parents as children as young as 13 are revealed to be seeing fake health advice and links to PORN in videos

PARENTS are urged that their children may access porn on TikTok and be exposed to fake health advice.

Although thousands of Brits spend their evenings scrolling the app, in the wrong hands it can be potentially life-threatening.

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An investigation by the Telegraph uncovered videos accessible to children that contain links to porn, self-harm and dangerous health advice.

This includes tips on how to lose 5kg in a week, as content creators disguise what is essentially starvation as “detox diets”.

One viral trend has even involved swallowing pills that claim to expel all the parasites in your body – but it’s “complete nonsense,” experts say.

Professor David Strain, chairman of the British Medical Association Board of Science, told The Telegraph the “real concern is the psychological impact”.

“If you go through life thinking that the bacteria you depend on will harm you, it can cause psychological damage.”

Another dangerous piece of advice, aimed specifically at young girls, was to use vinegar to treat thrush.

A juice for “vaginal health” was also marketed to girls as young as 13 that claimed to “cleanse cysts, fibroids and stagnant blood from the uterus [and] kill infections and parasites.”

The investigation uncovered a bunch of accounts that “diagnosed” users’ health conditions only to bombard them with anti-anxiety product advertisements.

But harmful messages weren’t just directed at girls — boys were exposed to toxic masculinity.

As the Andrew Tate name became a social media sensation, so did bodybuilding and extreme muscle building before and after workout shots.

While the sport can be practiced in a healthy way, constantly surrounding 13-year-old boys with this material could lead to serious body image problems.

More generally, The Telegraph noted that their fake child accounts were told to “grow a man” and encouraged them to buy “testosterone-boosting” supplements.

The violence shown in the app was also a startling discovery for investigators.

They reported scenes of murder investigations and knife attacks on TikTok of the 13-year-old boy.

A report called Masculine Rebellion preached to boys that women would try to manipulate men and that lipstick should be banned.

Self-harm content can also be particularly distressing and triggering — but it was viewed on TikTok in minutes.

However, Instagram successfully blocked most of this type of material.

A TikTok promoting eating disorders read, “You’re only jealous because I’ve gotten thin / because I have what you want / because I didn’t fail my studies [eating disorder].”

Various accounts showed young children what they could use to physically harm themselves and contained suicidal content.

Baroness Beeban Kidron, who has been campaigning for social media reform, said the Telegraph investigation showed that “social media platforms are willfully ignoring harm to children.

“These platforms have fueled anxiety and depression in a staggering number of young people, and in some cases even killed them.”

Inappropriate sex videos were also easily accessed on both apps, with accounts writing “hey you can see my webcam show, just follow me” in their bio.

These platforms have fueled anxiety and depression in a staggering number of young people, and in some cases even killed them.”

Baroness Beeban Kidron

Before even searching for this material, TikTok’s algorithm showed one of the 13-year-old boy accounts a video of the “Top 10 Countries Producing Porn”.

The 13-year-old girl’s account was recommended a livestream featuring a pornstar answering questions from viewers – in her lingerie.

Her OnlyFans account was linked and easily accessible, according to investigators.

The TikTok Best Teen Accounts list featured several soft porn accounts featuring women posing in their underwear.

A meta spokesman speaking for Instagram said: “We recently implemented controls to further limit the amount of sensitive content that young people see.

“We have never approved content that promotes suicide, self-harm or eating disorders, nor do we recommend weight loss content for under 18s.

“We are directing anyone looking into these issues to organizations that can provide support.”

TikTok said it removed inappropriate content reported by The Telegraph.

A spokesperson added: “This activity and the resulting experience do not reflect real behavior or viewing experiences of real people.

“Protecting our younger users is critical and we have taken industry-leading steps to promote a safe and age-appropriate experience for teens.

“We regularly consult with academics and experts to inform our policies, remove content that violates our Community Guidelines, and provide access to supporting resources for those in need.

“We recognize that triggering content is unique to each individual and we remain focused on creating a safe and comfortable space for all.”

This comes as the Online Safety Bill will be voted on next week in Parliament.

Tory rebel MPs want changes that would allow social media bosses to be jailed for failing to protect children from harm online.