In recent years, TikTok has taken the world by storm, amassing a vast user base, including a significant number of impressionable teenagers. However, as TikTok's popularity has soared, a concerning issue has surfaced: the promotion of steroids and performance-enhancing substances, even targeting our youth. In this article, we'll delve into the findings of a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, examining the implications of this troubling phenomenon.
**The Disturbing Facts**
The report, recently released by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, unveils a deeply unsettling trend within the TikTok community. It reveals that young users aged 18 to 24 in the United States have collectively viewed videos with hashtags related to steroids and similar substances a shocking 420 million times in the past three years. These videos frequently employ hashtags like #teenfitness and #teenbodybuilding, which are unsettling signs of their target audience.
What's particularly alarming is the brazen promotion of steroids and related products, often accompanied by discount codes directing viewers to websites where these substances are available for purchase. Many of these videos feature individuals flaunting exaggerated muscles and enthusiastically endorsing the use of these substances while downplaying the potential health risks and side effects.
**Impact on Our Teens**
Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, raises a critical concern regarding the influence of these videos on young minds. He notes that young boys are being led to believe that possessing superhuman muscles is a prerequisite for masculinity. Simultaneously, they're exposed to TikTok content that glorifies these harmful substances without adequately warning them about the grave health dangers associated with them.
**TikTok's Response**
TikTok's response to the report involves criticizing its methodology, asserting that it also includes "positive content" related to drug recovery. However, the Center for Countering Digital Hate has clarified that their analysis exclusively focused on hashtags predominantly featuring content that promotes, sells, or normalizes steroids or steroid-like drugs.
**The Wider Fitness Community**
TikTok boasts a vibrant and active fitness community that openly discusses steroids and the unrealistic expectations tied to their use. The "Natty or not" subgenre, where users speculate about who is using steroids, has gained immense popularity on the platform. This environment further normalizes conversations about steroids, making it potentially easier for impressionable individuals to fall into the perilous trap of performance-enhancing substances.
**Shocking Examples**
The report shines a spotlight on specific TikTok accounts actively promoting these harmful substances. One such account endorsed an estrogen-blocking hormone for teenagers, promising to enhance their physical attributes. This account, with over 40,000 followers, provided a discount code for a website selling steroid-like drugs. These examples underscore the urgency of addressing this issue to safeguard our young generation from potentially life-altering choices.
**Legal Implications**
Anabolic-androgenic steroids, the focal point of this controversy, are subject to strict regulation under the Controlled Substances Act. Selling or possessing these substances without a valid prescription can result in felony charges and up to 10 years in jail. The report also highlights the promotion of peptides and selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) on TikTok, substances popular in fitness circles but lacking FDA approval for over-the-counter sale as drugs. TikTok has stated that content related to SARMs will be removed when identified.
In conclusion, the report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate exposes a deeply concerning trend on TikTok. The promotion of steroids and performance-enhancing substances, often aimed at teenagers, poses a grave threat to the well-being of our young users. It is essential for TikTok and other stakeholders to take swift, decisive action to curtail the dissemination of such harmful content and protect the impressionable minds of our platform's youth. Ensuring the safety and welfare of the next generation should be the top priority for all parties involved.
