As the Federal government explores how enforcing social media age restrictions and potential bans may work for Australia’s young people, Flinders University researchers warn that ‘fitspiration’ videos shared on TikTok reinforce harmful gendered body ideals and often spread potentially dangerous, bogus health information.
A new study – You started working out to get a flat stomach and a fat a$$”: A content analysis of fitspiration videos on TikTok – analysed a sample of 200 TikTok ‘fitspiration’ videos and reveals concerning trends around the way fitness ideals are portrayed, as well as the credibility of health information and the qualifications of fitness influencers.
The findings from show that most videos were posted by people calling themselves fitness influencers, with 60 per cent of the video content found to showcase information that is factually incorrect or harmful.
“Our study highlights concern about the triggering and misleading information portrayed by unqualified influencers and that we need far greater scrutiny of the TikTok fitness community,” says lead author Samantha Pryde.
“TikTok fitspiration videos often promote an idealised view of body types and there is concern that this is causing negative body image issues, especially in young women.
“The content typically showcased and promoted an ideal ‘thin’ body type, indicating that thinness is still a key driver of body issues for women that can negatively impact their physical and mental health.
“Alarmingly, we found that the majority of the videos perpetuated negative messages, including sexualisation, body shaming and excessive dieting.
“As social media continues to shape perceptions of fitness and beauty, there is an urgent need for both viewers and content creators to critically evaluate the content being shared, and the qualifications of those giving their health advice.”
When looking at harmful themes, the study revealed that over half of the content depicting women involved sexualisation (55.7 per cent), followed by body shaming (20 per cent) and eating disorder promotion (8.6 per cent).
Schoolyard spread of misinformation
Year 10 student Chelsea told EducationDaily that the impact of ‘fitspo’ influencers is something she hears talked about in the schoolyard almost every day – from her teenage friends sharing thoughts about what constitutes a healthy lunch box snack, to shared stories about the workouts many of those friends do before or after school.
For Chelsea, 16, a commitment to intensive ballet training that sees her attending dance and exercise classes around 25 hours each week has helped her access what she believes as “good advice” from people she sees as qualified professionals, with training in physio, nutrition and dance. She believes that the TikTok fitness influencer trend is “a real worry” that, she says, too many young people “treat like the Bible of health information, without questioning it”.
Although she doesn’t profess to be a health and nutrition expert, Chelsea says she trusts her dance instructors’ advice around approaching exercise and nutrition in a sensible way and says that the TikTok-centric diet and fitness advice she hears many of her school friends talk about “mostly sounds ridiculous”.
Lack of credible qualifications
Professor Eva Kemps, a co-author on the paper believes Chelsea has good reason to be concerned about the influencers her friends seem to love.
“Worryingly, we found that the vast majority of influencers behind the content lacked credible health and fitness qualifications, underscoring a pervasive issue where influencer popularity overshadows the accuracy and safety of the information they provide,” she says.
A notable gender disparity was present in the objectification portrayed in videos where female content frequently objectified specific body parts such as their thighs and buttocks, while male videos were more prone to obscure faces, a trend not seen in earlier studies of fitspiration on other platforms like Instagram.
Male body images were however also objectified with the ideal body depicted as muscular and lean.
“This evolving objectification raises concerns about the impact of fitspiration on male body image as well, with increasing evidence suggesting that male viewers are similarly affected by idealised imagery,” says Kemps.
“Interestingly, the analysis revealed that women’s fitspiration videos were more likely to feature a single person, while men’s videos often showed multiple participants.
“This could reflect motivational differences, with men typically exercising in a social context driven by community or competition, compared to women’s intrinsic motivations like solo self-enjoyment and well-being.”
Global, growing platform has huge reach
Data shows that TikTok is a hugely influential and fast-growing platform with a total of 1.5 billion monthly active users around the world allowing people aged 13 and above to use the platform.
“Our study illustrates the need for more research and enhanced regulation regarding advertising by influencers on social media,” says Associate Professor Ivanka Prichard, an expert in body image and exercise.
“We need more collaboration with public health organisations, so that fitness influencers are encouraged to share evidence-based information that promotes healthy, realistic expectations for body image and fitness.
“In a world increasingly influenced by digital media, monitoring the impact of fitspiration content remains crucial in promoting and protecting healthier body image narratives, and fostering supportive fitness cultures.”
