Background <p>This study seeks to investigate the impact of anorexia awareness videos on the perception of anorexic figures and pro-anorexia attitude among young females, considering the employed fear appeals and the presence of pro-anorexia content in danmu, an online commenting system prevalent in China.</p> Methods <p>An experiment was conducted employing a 3 (Fear level of video: low, medium, high) × 4 (Danmu type: no danmu, pro-anorexia, anti-anorexia, mixed pro- and anti-anorexia) between-participants design. A total of 633 female participants were randomly assigned to view one of the twelve videos and subsequently evaluated on fear arousal, pro-anorexia attitude and perception of the anorexic figure scales.</p> Results <p>A moderated moderated mediation model demonstrates that heightened fear levels of anorexia awareness videos were linked to a more adverse perception of individuals with anorexia, subsequently reducing pro-anorexia attitude. Furthermore, the fear level of an anorexia awareness video, aroused fear, and the type of danmu interacted in a three-way manner regarding the perception of anorexic individuals. The presence of pro-anorexia content in danmu counteracted the observed positive impact.</p> Conclusions <p>These results imply that anorexia awareness videos should strive to evoke appropriate levels of fear while also addressing the potential adverse effects of pro-anorexia danmu, which may glorify anorexic bodies and undermine the intended protective outcomes.</p>