Beware of toxic TikTok #fitspo videos
As a person living in Australia, a new paper published on Elsevier’s Body Image deeply touched my heart as it shows the truth based on a rigorous study conducted by researchers at Flinders University. My Aussie friends Samantha Pryde (PhD student) and Sally Lauder (Media Advisor) were the first to share this insightful paper with me, which is now published in the December version of the journal.
As a health science researcher, fitness enthusiast, and content strategist, the alarming findings from Flinders University about TikTok’s “fitspiration” (#fitspo) videos really hit home for me. They remind us of how influential social media has become, especially for young people, and why we need to be more discerning about the content we consume and promote.
Imagine scrolling through TikTok and being bombarded with fitness advice from influencers, many of whom are not qualified to give health guidance. That’s the reality many face, and the consequences can be harmful.
The study from Flinders University revealed that 60% of TikTok “fitspo” videos contain incorrect or harmful information, often promoting unrealistic body ideals that can negatively affect mental and physical health.
As a researcher, content strategist, and media consumer, I found this situation disturbing to see how influential this misinformation can be, especially when it targets young women and men struggling with body image issues.
One of the most eye-opening findings was how these videos push harmful gendered ideals — women are sexualized, body-shamed, and encouraged to pursue extreme dieting. At the same time, men are depicted as needing to be muscular and lean.
The study even highlights a new trend where men’s videos obscure their faces, which differs from older platforms like Instagram or Facebook. This kind of content normalizes unhealthy behaviors, affecting self-esteem and leading to long-term issues like eating disorders.
From my perspective, this raises a crucial question about responsibility. Who should be held accountable for promoting misleading content — TikTok or the influencers? And how can we ensure the content shared is not only engaging but also safe and accurate?
As Australia debates banning social media for children, we need stronger regulations, especially in partnership with public health organizations, to promote evidence-based, realistic fitness and health content. This valuable research sheds light on improving our public health policies.
The research also brought attention to the community aspect of men’s fitness content — often more social and competitive — while women’s videos typically feature solo activities focused on self-enjoyment. This reflects deeper cultural motivations in how fitness is pursued and presented.
As I mentioned previously, I use many social media platforms, but I refrain from TikTok for valid reasons, which I explained in this viral story.
However, we can’t ignore TikTok’s massive reach — 1.5 billion active users worldwide — and the fact that this platform shapes the perceptions of millions. So, what can we do as individuals and parents to protect our children?
We need to start by being more critical of the content we watch. If you are a creator, make sure you are sharing reliable, helpful, and evidence-based information. We need to advocate for a digital space that encourages healthy, diverse, and inclusive fitness ideals for all.
This study, published in the journal Body Image, is a wake-up call. We must take action now to prevent the spread of toxic messages and support healthier, more realistic body narratives on social media.
It is time to shift the conversation from unattainable beauty standards to one focused on well-being, self-acceptance, and sustainable health.
Many thanks to Professor Eva Kemps, Associate Professor Ivanka Prichard, and PhD student Samantha Pryde for making this research available to the public. You can read the paper titled “You started working out to get a flat stomach and a fat a$$”:A content analysis of fitspiration videos on TikTok” for free in Body Image Journal. DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101769
About the methodology
“Using the lead researcher’s account, the four hashtags were searched and filtered using the ‘hashtag’ filter from the search results. Accordingly, only videos using each hashtag would appear, eliminating the algorithm’s potential to suggest videos outside of the search. Following previous TikTok content analyses, a sample of 200 videos was selected from the filtered videos (the first 50 videos from each hashtag). Filtering videos by hashtags orders videos from the most to the least viewed, which ensured that the 50 most viewed videos from each hashtag were included in the sample.”
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Preface of “Substack Mastery” for Beta Readers, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapters 12
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I’d like to give a quick update on community building on Substack bridging with other platforms like Medium, NewsBreak, or Vocal Media.
Book authors need to create communities to survive and thrive. Integrating Substack with Medium is a great idea. To this end, as a community builder, I created a philanthropic organization that will empower creators, freelance writers, and content entrepreneurs with a commercial arm.
I documented the strategy and high-level plan in a story. Please feel free to ask questions and provide feedback. Refraining from perfection, I choose a progressive path.
Here are our draft service definitions for creators, freelance writers, and content entrepreneurs. I will explain the details in our upcoming newsletter. Here is an invitation from a founding member. Here is the visual representation of the plan. As you can see we will over 70% of our services for free but we can no longer provide priority to 100% due to limitation of Medium like not giving us more than 30 volunteer editor to my publications supporting over 32,000 writers. It is humanly impossible.
If you are a writer on Medium and Substack, we have a new publication called Substack Mastery. You are welcome to join and share your Substack experience with your fellow writers and discerning readers. ILLUMINATION-Curators curate, feature, and promote newsletters of our contributors in collections like this one. Being part of a community can bring many benefits, such as a fast-growing audience. Here is the latest episode by our volunteer curators: Substack Mastery Featured Newsletters: Episode 12.
For advanced writers, we also have a publication called Curated Newsletters, which replaced the former ILLUMINATION-Curated. As I withdraw from the boost program, I now allocate more time to support writers in extending their services to Substack or other platforms that are still supporting them on Medium because this is a valuable platform for many.
If you are a writer, you are welcome to join my publications by sending a request via this link. I support 32K writers who contribute to my publications on this platform. You can contact me via my website. I also have another profile to write and curate tech stories. Friend Links to My Sample Boosted Stories for Non-Members of Medium.
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