Wellness on Social Media?

Authored by: Natalie Bushell

Art by: Carla Hu

Who is allowed to give health advice? And when did “sharing wellness tips” morph into practicing medicine? The rise of fitness influencers on social media has become an entire industry, turning what was once a hobby into the sole source of income for many individuals. With no certifications or credentials needed to promote products on TikTok and other social media platforms, "influencers" are profiting off of the advice they give to the public, regardless of how accurate it is. This advice can be both beneficial and harmful to innocent young viewers who are simply scrolling on their phones [1]. This leaves many people wondering “who is qualified to give health advice” and “how can this be regulated such that only accurate information is provided to impressionable viewers”? [2]. 

TikTok exemplifies the meaning of free speech as anyone can build their personal brand on the platform and share whatever content they choose. Though the egalitarian nature of TikTok makes sense at face value, it can become damaging when users begin to promote false information, either intentionally or unintentionally. Is it ethical to profit from misinformation, even if the influencer is well intentioned? Influencers can be naïve, uninformed, uneducated, or downright unethical, yet they are still able to share information freely while receiving praise or compensation, with no adverse consequences. Many people would argue that the responsibility lies within consumers themselves to be educated, but what if the young viewers themselves, or their parents, have limited knowledge about this subject matter? Should TikTok be policed so that only accurate health information is shared? 

The average teenager spends more than 4 hours a day on their phone [3]. Social media platforms are highly addictive, as the algorithm caters the feed to your interests based on your engagement with previous videos. The amount of time individuals are spending on TikTok indicates a lot of information is reaching consumers, but are parents able to monitor what their 8 or 12 year-old child is viewing? Even if they try, does the parent have the knowledge or the time to confirm that their child consumes accurate information on social media? Often, many parents are unaware of what is being put out online, and no one is explaining to young impressionable children and adolescents that not everything online is real. The proliferation of misinformation is also extremely difficult to regulate because TikTok and other social media apps offer equal access to all, and everyone has the ability to have their own account and make videos [4]. 

I have seen plenty of social media trends go around, such as parasite cleanses, mouth taping, and supplemental promotions with the promise of providing a very specific health benefit. A video of a person with a large following promoting a product and speaking about “how amazing it is”, influences their audience to think they need to buy it in order to achieve a specific result, or to just “be healthy”. In reality, influencers may have no education on the subject matter. In many cases, the promotion may benefit only the influencer, leaving the consumers no better off after purchasing and using the product. Influencers often build trust with their audience by convincing viewers that they have an underlying health problem they were previously unaware of “like a parasite.” The influencers then tell their audience that they can help with this potential problem by providing a solution. The influencer would then promote a parasite cleansing product, even though parasites are extremely uncommon in developed countries [5].  This is a strategic way influencers earn their audience’s trust and profit from them... by claiming to have their audience's best interest at heart. 

Given the proliferation of social media use, it is near impossible to control what people put out onto social media. After all, the beauty of social media is that almost anyone can access it and almost anyone can put out content. Misinformation is spread, and can spread quickly, by people with no education on the subject matter. It is critical to teach young children to fact check what they watch, hear or learn on social media. Though not everyone is qualified to give health advice online, that doesn't stop people from posting. As someone who believes TikTok and other social media can truly be an educational platform, we need to teach young family members and friends to take what they learn on social media with a grain of salt, that it cannot automatically be reliable. All content needs to be  interpreted through a skeptical lens so you do not fall into the trap of thinking you have a parasite, and therefore you need to purchase a certain supplement to fix the issue. If social media can not be properly regulated by parents, its owners or the government, then hopefully, over time, consumers will work together to separate the truly knowledgeable, caring influencers from the influencers trying to sell a parasite cleanse to unsuspecting children.

References:

1. Bonnevie, Erika, et al. “Social Media Influencers Can Be Used to Deliver Positive Information about the Flu Vaccine: Findings from a Multi-Year Study.” Health Education Research, vol. 36, no. 3, 2021, pp. 286–94. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/48823433. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.

2. Realistic Expectations? A Content Analysis of Exercise Apps for Presence of Behavior Change Theory.” Health Education & Behavior, vol. 40, no. 2, 2013, pp. 133–39. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/45088063. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.

3. Zablotsky, B., Arockiaraj, B., Haile, G., & Ng, A. E. (2024). Daily Screen Time Among Teenagers: United States, July 2021 – December 2023. Daily Screen Time among Teenagers: United States, July 2021–December 2023, 513(513). https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc/168509

4. Jaffar, B. A., Riaz, S., & Mushtaq, A. (2019). Living in a Moment: Impact of TikTok on Influencing Younger Generation into Micro-Fame. Journal of Content, Community and Communication, 10(9). https://doi.org/10.31620/jccc.12.19/19

5. Fascination, disgust, and social media: how parasitologists can fight against medical misinformation online. (2023, November 3). The HPI Parasite Blog. https://theparasiteblog.wordpress.com/2023/11/03/fascination-disgust-and-social-media-how-parasitologists-can-fight-against-medical-misinformation-online/