Although younger generations often turn to TikTok for health and nutrition information, it is well-known for spreading misinformation that poses serious risks, including harmful dietary practices, body image issues and mental health concerns.
Researchers from Australia recently evaluated nutrition-related content on TikTok by identifying common topics and content creators, assessing content quality and accuracy using evidence-based frameworks, and analyzing engagement metrics.
Results showed not only that the vast majority of posts lacked accurate content but also that inaccurate posts receive significantly more interaction, suggesting TikTok’s algorithm favors sensational content.
“TikTok prioritizes engagement over accuracy, exposing adolescents to harmful nutrition misinformation,” the researchers wrote in the journal Nutrients .
“Protecting adolescent and young adult health in the digital age demands targeted strategies to mitigate misinformation and promote positive health behaviors.”
How TikTok shapes youth nutrition knowledge
TikTok has become a major source of health and nutrition information for young users, particularly adolescents and young adults. With over 1 billion reported monthly active users—63% of whom are between 10 and 29 years old—TikTok serves as a powerful tool for spreading health-related content, especially on diet, nutrition and weight management.
It is understood that many videos lack expert input, and although health professionals share credible nutrition content on TikTok, their presence remains limited compared to the number of non-expert voices.
Research indicates that it is predominantly young women, adolescents of color and lower-income populations that rely heavily on TikTok for health information, making them more vulnerable to misinformation. Furthermore, socioeconomic barriers to professional healthcare further increase this reliance.
Viral but misleading
The researchers conducted a cross-sectional study to analyze the prevalence, characteristics and engagement metrics of nutrition-related content on TikTok.
They tested a search strategy using popular nutrition-related hashtags and after screening 1,054 posts, randomly selected 250 for detailed analysis.
Posts were categorized under one of nine “nutrition topics” and assigned a “content creator type” label to reflect expertise and focus. The researchers evaluated five key domains: authorship, accuracy, financial disclosure, transparency and engagement.
Post accuracy was assessed by comparing content against evidence-based nutrition guidelines and then rated as “completely accurate,” “mostly accurate,” “mostly inaccurate,” “completely inaccurate” or “not assessable.”
Results showed that among the 250 analyzed posts, health and wellness influencers (32%) were the most common content creators, followed by fitness creators (18%) and general lifestyle influencers (18%).
By contrast, dietitians (5%), nutritionists (4%) and other health professionals (3%) posted less frequently. The most common nutrition topics included weight loss (34%), recipes and meal ideas (32%), general nutrition advice (11%), supplements (10%) and goal-oriented nutrition (7%).
Nearly half (48%) of the applicable posts failed to meet testimonial-use criteria, while most posts lacked transparent advertising (82%) and financial disclosure (77%), and many posts failed to provide evidence-based information (55%).
Posts on general nutrition contained the highest proportion of accurate content, while weight loss-related posts had the most inaccuracies.
Dietitians created the most accurate content, while in contrast, content farms (used to describe the high number of accounts that produce low-quality content that exploit algorithms to maximize engagement) produced the most misleading content.
Additionally, inaccurate posts garnered significantly more interaction than accurate posts.
“This suggests that TikTok’s algorithm amplifies sensationalized and engaging content, regardless of its accuracy,” the researchers wrote.
Prior studies confirm that misinformation is prevalent across social media, with Instagram and YouTube being major sources of dietary misinformation. However, according to the researchers, TikTok’s algorithm and short-form video format worsen the problem by prioritizing virality over credibility.
“The platform’s algorithmic bias, combined with users’ preference for visually appealing or relatable content, may explain the popularity of inaccurate posts,” they wrote.
“Sensationalized or controversial nutrition claims often attract more attention, particularly on a platform driven by virality.”
The researchers added that future research should explore how TikTok’s algorithm amplifies misinformation, the impact of exposure to false content on adolescents, and how to improve media literacy and intervention strategies.
Source: Nutrients 2025, 17(5), 781. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17050781; “#WhatIEatinaDay: The Quality, Accuracy, and Engagement of Nutrition Content on TikTok”. Authors: Zeng, M. et al.