TikTok videos promoting steroids are exploding, sometimes targeting teenagers

In a new report, a social media watchdog group details how steroid content has exploded in some TikTok communities, promoting unattainable body image ideals to boys and young men while also promoting potentially dangerous, and often illegal, substances.

Researchers at the Center to Counter Digital Hate (CCDH) found that in the past three years, videos labeled to promote the use of steroids were viewed more than 580 million times by U.S. users, with the majority coming from young men aged 18-24. There is currently no browsing data for users under 18 years old.

"Young women and girls are not the only group of young people exposed to potentially harmful and dangerous content online," CCDH chief executive Imran Ahmed said. "A growing, long-understudied crisis is brewing among young boys and men, wrapped in toxic ideas of masculinity, strength and misogyny, and amplified by irresponsible algorithms."

The CCDH classifies the substances in question as "steroid drugs" rather than calling them "performance-enhancing drugs" - which could be misleading given the health risks associated with using these drugs. Drugs studied in the report include anabolic androgenic steroids, peptides and selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs).

In April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about steroid use among teens and young adults, citing the influence of social media influencers. In the FDA warning, the agency noted numerous reports of adverse events, specifically that SARMs have been linked to an increased risk of heart attacks, infertility and psychosis.

"Aimed at teens and young adults, videos on social media platforms tout SARMs as a quick or easy way to improve appearance, gain muscle, or enhance athletic performance. The reality is that SARMs are potentially dangerous," the FDA wrote.

In the United States, anabolic androgenic steroids require a prescription, while peptides and SARMs are illegal to sell as dietary supplements. According to the United States Anti-Doping Agency, "There are currently no [FDA]-approved SARMs available for prescription use. All SARMs are investigational drugs." Despite the restrictions and dangers associated with their use, these substances are often sold as "research chemicals" that are neither approved by regulatory agencies nor suitable for human consumption, even though they explicitly encourage purchasers to ingest them. "

This loophole may not fool the FDA. The agency has issued warning letters and, in some cases, filed criminal charges to companies that try to exploit this vulnerability to sell SARMs.

The report said that while merchants selling these drugs generally do not directly target underage users, they increasingly rely on social media influencers on apps such as TikTok to promote their products through affiliate marketing. CCDH discovered 35 influencers on TikTok associated with websites selling illegal steroid-based drugs. These accounts have a combined 1.8 million users on TikTok, which they use to push affiliate links and discount codes and earn high commissions from sales.

"These accounts are among users who post videos showing off their physiques or muscle-building techniques," the report states. "Many publicly document their experiences with SLD or upload videos in an educational style, emphasizing the purported benefits of SLD, often ignoring or downplaying the health risks."

In all the video examples, TikTok users shared gym and workout videos encouraging their followers to use steroid drugs. Some of the videos directly targeted users under the age of 18, with titles such as "Teens lied about their age to fight in World War II, but you don't dare take S4RMs [SARMs]" and "Just tell your parents they're vitamins." Researchers also found videos by users claiming to be under 18 promoting the use of steroid drugs in bodybuilding.