Long before the terms “gainsmaxxing”, “big gains”, “getting yoked”, and “getting swole” were coined, resistance training was already working its way into mainstream fitness settings and microcultures.

This trend has only grown with the rise of short-form video platforms, as content creators and “gymfluencers” share training routines and fitness advice. Along with this content come conversations around body image and muscle development. Social media content is known to negatively impact mental health and self-image, which may lead to unhealthy wellness activities.

Social media has been associated with inaccurate information, despite being many individuals’ source of information. In fact, some will go to the search tab of a short-form video platform and treat it as a search engine. Unfortunately, inaccurate men’s health information is widespread across these platforms, creating a vulnerability to being misled.

Such content includes wellness trends promoting anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), known publicly as steroids or “roids”. Normally, AAS are prescribed for those with low testosterone (hypogonadism) or dramatic muscle loss. However, they have been widely used to bulk up very quickly. When used incorrectly, they can come with a host of side effects, including mood swings and irritability (roid rage), liver damage, infertility, heart and blood pressure issues, and more. The use of AAS may also contribute to increased rates of erectile dysfunction (ED) and low libido, especially after stopping AAS, according to one 2018 study.

While mostly associated with massive muscles and bodybuilding competitions, many may believe steroid use is not a major issue. However, the darkest corners of gymfluencing may be promoting incorrect use of AAS. Not enough research has been conducted to understand how widespread this misinformation could be.

Social Media has AAS-Related Content by the Hundreds

Recently, researchers evaluated the quality of AAS-related videos on the short-form video platforms TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels. Researchers state that understanding source credibility is essential in addressing growing public health concerns. Therefore, determining what patients are viewing online is crucial for targeting public health information.

Two researchers used the search function on each of the three social media platforms with the following terms:

• Steroids
• Roids
• The gear emoji
• TRT
• Cycle
• My first cycle
• Roids cycle
• Natty

The first 50 results from each search were collected, weeding out duplicates, advertisements, and sponsored content, leaving 150 total videos. Search history was cleared between each search to avoid algorithmic influence.

Videos were placed into categories:

• 5 physicians (MD or DO from separate verification),
• 9 health professionals (PhD, MSc, BSc),
• 57 non-health professionals
• 9 news media accounts
• 70 others

Videos were reviewed and rated on engagement, information quality, reliability, and an overall quality score from a predetermined rating system. This score was the sum of each question’s score, resulting in a rating of very poor, poor, fair, good, and excellent.

How Accurate is Social Media-Based AAS-Related Information?

The median view count of all 150 videos was more than 2 million, which researchers say shows how wide the reach of AAS-related content is. Overall engagement (likes, shares, comments, etc.) varied based on the type of content creator. News media sources had the highest number of comments, while health professionals had the highest number of followers.

• Health professionals were rated as most reliable by the research team, with 22.2% scoring “excellent” or “good” on the rating scale.
• Physicians consistently scored “fair” (20%).
• All videos created by “others” scored “very poor.”

These results align with previous research, consistently showing that content produced by non-health professionals rarely contains evidence-based information. Additionally, physicians' accuracy may differ based on their specialty, commercial interests, or knowledge pool.

Between the three social media platforms, YouTube Shorts were scored between “fair” and “excellent,” which may be due to YouTube's age compared to the other two. Well-established long-form creators may be more likely to post on Shorts, contributing to higher-quality content.

TikTok and Instagram Reels were consistently rated “very poor.” This is likely due to these platforms’ tendency to favor sensationalism and prioritize high engagement metrics over accuracy and quality. Because of this, a larger number of non-healthcare professionals are boosted on one’s search or explore page. This is also reflected in previous research on TikTok.

The researchers concluded that Instagram Reels and TikTok are likely not the best sources of information for AAS-related content. They say the widespread dissemination of low-quality steroid content may lead to misuse by those who have consumed it, therefore contributing to a larger public health issue.

Key Takeaways

• AAS (steroid) use has been popular for quite some time; however, social media may have caused a rise in misuse.
• Researchers conducted a study to determine which social media platforms and content creator types provide the highest-quality AAS-related content.
• YouTube Shorts and healthcare professionals appeared to have the highest-quality AAS-related content, in comparison to TikTok and Instagram Reels, and influencers, physicians, and news media sources, respectively.
• This lack of reliable health information on social media may be contributing to the misuse of steroids and broader men’s public health issues.
• It may be beneficial to find a trusted source of health information besides social media.

Resources:

• Guillen Lozoya, A. H., Bonakdar Hashemi, M., Bolanos Cerda, B., Helo, S., Ziegelmann, M. J., & Köhler, T. S. (2026). Anabolic androgenic steroid content on social media: Reliability, engagement, and Public Health Implications. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 23(5). https://doi.org/10.1093/jsxmed/qdag126
• Armstrong, J. M., Avant, R. A., Charchenko, C. M., Westerman, M. E., Ziegelmann, M. J., Miest, T. S., & Trost, L. W. (2018). Impact of anabolic androgenic steroids on sexual function. Translational andrology and urology, 7(3), 483–489. https://doi.org/10.21037/tau.2018.04.23