Instagram, TikTok fitness workouts are harmful? Here is what studies reveal

A study published in BMC Public Health in 2023 revealed that almost two-thirds of the top Instagram "fitspiration" accounts lacked credible information. Another analysis focused on 1,000 TikTok posts related to food, nutrition, and weight loss, as reported in the journal PLOS One, found weight-normative content, including the glorification of weight loss, as per a report in CNN.

Although fitness influencers have the potential to encourage physical activity positively, concerns arise about the quality and accuracy of their content, as highlighted in a 2022 review in Frontiers in Public Health, CNN reported.

Moreover, Monica Jones, a certified personal trainer based in Washington, DC, pointed out that much of the fitness information circulating on TikTok lacks scientific backing and is often not disseminated by fitness professionals, as per the CNN report.


Social media companies collectively made over $11 billion in US advertising revenue from minors last year, according to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published in December.

The researchers say the findings show a need for government regulation of social media since the companies that stand to make money from children who use their platforms have failed to meaningfully self-regulate. They note such regulations, as well as greater transparency from tech companies, could help alleviate harms to youth mental health and curtail potentially harmful advertising practices that target children and adolescents.

According to the Harvard study, YouTube derived the greatest ad revenue from users 12 and under ($959.1 million), followed by Instagram ($801.1 million) and Facebook ($137.2 million).

Instagram, meanwhile, derived the greatest ad revenue from users aged 13-17 ($4 billion), followed by TikTok ($2 billion) and YouTube ($1.2 billion).

The researchers also estimate that Snapchat derived the greatest share of its overall 2022 ad revenue from users under 18 (41%), followed by TikTok (35%), YouTube (27%), and Instagram (16%).

FAQs:

Q1. What do we know about social media's ad generation?
A1. According to the Harvard study, YouTube derived the greatest ad revenue from users 12 and under ($959.1 million), followed by Instagram ($801.1 million) and Facebook ($137.2 million). Instagram, meanwhile, derived the greatest ad revenue from users aged 13-17 ($4 billion), followed by TikTok ($2 billion) and YouTube ($1.2 billion).

Q2. What we know about social media's revenue generation?
A2. The researchers also estimate that Snapchat derived the greatest share of its overall 2022 ad revenue from users under 18 (41%), followed by TikTok (35%), YouTube (27%), and Instagram (16%).