Watching Muscle-Related Content On Social Media Raises Steroid Use Intentions In Men: Study

Spending hours watching reels and other social media content might feel like a harmless way to pass the hours, but a new study suggests there could be more at stake than you realise, especially for young men. Research published this week in the journal Body Image found that exposure to muscle-focused content on social platforms is associated with stronger intentions to use anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) among adolescent and young adult males who have never used these drugs. The findings add to growing concerns about how idealised bodies, fitness "inspiration" and relentless comparison cycles online can shape attitudes to health, body image and even the consideration of high-risk substances such as steroids. Experts say it highlights the importance of understanding not just how long young people spend online but what they are watching and how they react to it.

Fitspiration and AAS Intentions: What's the Connection?

The study, led by researchers in Canada and the United States, surveyed 1,515 boys and men aged 15 to 35 who had never used anabolic steroids. Participants completed questionnaires about their screen time, social media habits and attitudes toward AAS. On average, participants reported about two hours of social media use per day. While overall screen time wasn't strongly linked to steroid intentions, it was the type of content and how users engaged with it that made the biggest difference. Key findings included:

• Those who consumed more muscularity-oriented content including images of extremely muscular bodies and posts promoting muscle-building products tended to have higher intentions to use steroids.
• Social media addiction symptoms were also associated with stronger intentions to use AAS.
• Participants who frequently compared their own bodies to others online had higher steroid use intentions than those who did not.

In simple terms, it wasn't just time spent scrolling that mattered. What young men saw and how they responded to it seemed to be most important.

Why This Matters

Anabolic-androgenic steroids are synthetic substances that mimic the effects of testosterone. As per study, they are a class of hormones that are widely abused for their muscle-building and strength-increasing properties in high, nontherapeutic, dosages.They are sometimes used to increase muscle mass or enhance performance, but they carry a range of potential health risks including cardiovascular problems, hormone disruption and psychological effects.

This study doesn't show that watching muscle-focused content causes someone to start using AAS, but it does highlight important associations. Intentions precede behaviour, and if social media environments are encouraging more young men to even consider steroid use, that could be a red flag for public health and education practitioners. The researchers emphasise that these findings align with broader evidence on the impact of fitspiration culture where idealised, often highly unrealistic body types are constantly presented as the norm. Earlier studies have shown links between muscularity-oriented social content and negative body image outcomes such as muscle dysmorphia, a form of body image disturbance characterised by obsession with muscularity.

Looking Beyond Screen Time

One of the key takeaways from this research is that social media's influence goes beyond duration of use. Simply measuring how many hours people spend online doesn't fully capture the psychological impact of what they are consuming. For example, participants who saw more content related to muscle-building supplements or drugs showed the strongest association with higher steroid intentions, even though relatively few reported seeing such material. This suggests that these specific types of posts might be more potent in shaping attitudes than general content.

Also read: Steroid Overuse Increases Fungal Infection Risk: 6 Dangerous Side Effects To Watch For

Young men who frequently compared their bodies with others online also reported stronger intentions to consider steroids a pattern seen in other research showing that body comparison is a significant risk factor for body dissatisfaction and extreme behaviours.

Limitations and Future Directions

Studying has some important limitations. It relied on self-reported data and used a cross-sectional design, meaning it measured associations at a single point in time rather than tracking changes over time. This makes it impossible to say for certain that social media use directly leads to steroid intentions.

Also read: More Women Are Using Steroids - And Many Don't Know The Risks

Researchers also used tools that have not been fully validated for assessing steroid use intentions or specific types of social media exposure, and they did not distinguish between actively engaging with content versus passively viewing it a distinction that could matter. The authors call for longitudinal research to see whether these intentions eventually translate into use, and for better measurement tools to assess social media influence more precisely. Given the findings, there is a growing call for media literacy programmes that help young people critically evaluate what they see online. Encouraging users to view social media with a critical eye, especially fitness-related content, could help reduce unhealthy comparisons and risky behaviour.

Disclaimer: This content, including advice, provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.