  Social media platforms actively moderate content glorifying harmful behaviors
like eating disorders, which include anorexia and bulimia. However, users have
adapted to evade moderation by using coded hashtags. Our study investigates the
prevalence of moderation evaders on the popular social media platform TikTok
and contrasts their use and emotional valence with mainstream hashtags. We
notice that moderation evaders and mainstream hashtags appear together,
indicating that vulnerable users might inadvertently encounter harmful content
even when searching for mainstream terms. Additionally, through an analysis of
emotional expressions in video descriptions and comments, we find that
mainstream hashtags generally promote positive engagement, while moderation
evaders evoke a wider range of emotions, including heightened negativity. These
findings provide valuable insights for content creators, platform moderation
efforts, and interventions aimed at cultivating a supportive online environment
for discussions on mental health and eating disorders.
