Chewing Plastic to ‘Feel Full’: China’s Bizarre Diet Trend Sparks Safety Concerns

A bizarre weight-loss trend is going viral across Chinese short-video platforms like TikTok, where young users are seen chewing food with a layer of plastic wrap or a plastic bag over their mouths and then spitting it out rather than swallowing it. The fad is being shared widely in videos, with proponents claiming it tricks the brain into feeling full without consuming calories, a shortcut to weight control that many youth find appealing amid body image pressures online.