Austrian researchers have raised concerns about the growing influence of the #fitspiration trend on social media, highlighting the risks it poses to teenagers. With over 20 million posts on Instagram alone, #fitspiration – a global trend aimed at promoting fitness – has become a platform for extreme training and questionable nutrition advice. This trend is often accompanied by unrealistic body ideals and outdated gender norms, leading experts to call for better education around social media and health literacy among young people.
Elisabeth Höld, Senior Researcher at the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Institute of Health Sciences, emphasised the critical need to teach adolescents how to critically evaluate the content they see online. “Social media has become an integral part of teenagers’ lives,” she said. “Unfortunately, it’s also a playground for so-called health gurus and self-proclaimed nutrition experts. It is essential that young people learn to approach social media content with caution and critical thinking.”
The Rise of Social Media in Health Information
Young people are increasingly turning to social media for advice on various subjects, including health. However, researchers warn that without the right skills, teenagers are vulnerable to misinformation. To address this issue, Höld and her team are promoting the importance of “social media literacy” – the ability to critically assess content online – and “e-health literacy,” which refers to understanding and using online health information correctly.
“Although today’s teenagers have grown up with smartphones and social media, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are skilled at navigating these platforms critically,” explained Theres Rathmanner, co-project manager and Researcher at the Institute of Health Sciences at St. Pölten UAS. “This can be problematic, as young people are particularly vulnerable to the unrealistic and harmful messages being conveyed through trends like #fitspiration.”
Analysing the Impact of #Fitspiration
To better understand the effects of #fitspiration on teenagers, the St. Pölten UAS research team conducted a study examining which social media platforms adolescents aged 14 to 19 most frequently use to access this content. They also analysed how these teens perceive the images posted by popular #fitspiration influencers.
“The analysis of #fitspiration photos on social media revealed worrying trends,” said Bettina Prokop, an external gender expert working with the project. “We found a lack of diversity, deeply ingrained gender stereotypes, and unrealistic beauty ideals in the images, which are problematic for young people’s self-esteem and body image.”
New Tools to Combat Misinformation
As part of their research, the team carried out a mixed-methods study with teenagers from Vienna and Lower Austria, analysing the social media accounts of top #fitspiration influencers in the German-speaking world. Despite the teens showing good critical reflection skills regarding societal expectations, the research revealed a troubling finding: many teenagers believed themselves to be overweight, even when scientific measurements indicated otherwise.
In response to these findings, the researchers developed an online course and an interactive image analysis tool for 14- to 19-year-olds. The aim of the course is to equip young people with the skills to critically evaluate the stereotypes around body image, the quality of health information, and the marketing techniques employed on social media platforms.
By encouraging teenagers to think critically about the content they consume, the researchers hope to reduce the harmful impact of trends like #fitspiration and promote a healthier, more realistic understanding of fitness and body image.
Further information is available on the project website “FIVE – #Fitspiration Image VErification”.