Adolescents participating in a study have reported that TikTok influences what they want to eat. The teens said the social media platform’s food content prompts hunger, cravings, and interest in foods. Meanwhile, food-related content may also bring critical conversations about food, bodies, and misleading health information. The researchers urge parents to interrupt their teens’ exposure to food-related content and to gatekeep from potentially harmful information. The US study included 25 teens aged 15–16 from a school, and included discussions of how they used TikTok, the content they were exposed to, how they assessed it, and their parents’ influence on social media use and eating behaviors.

Researchers urge parents to intervene in teens’ exposure to food content on TikTok
Beatrice Wihlander


