A new survey from the Pew Research Center finds that about 40% of U.S. adults — and roughly half of adults under 50 — now get health and wellness information from social media or podcasts. The findings, released May 9, highlight both the growing reach of online health content and the often-thin credentials of the personalities behind it.
Pew researchers analyzed the profiles of 6,828 health and wellness influencers who have at least 100,000 followers. Only about 4 in 10 identified themselves as health professionals. Roughly one-third used the title “coach,” 3 in 10 described themselves as entrepreneurs, and about 1 in 10 cited personal life experience — such as being a parent — as their primary qualification. “We have to be careful with people who have an experience in one thing and suddenly become a ‘coach’ on that,” said Courtney Babilya, a certified medical exercise specialist and personal trainer with more than 430,000 followers on Instagram. Babilya, who has seen this pattern with maternity content, added: “Someone has a baby and suddenly they’re a pregnancy coach.”
The survey indicates that cost barriers may be driving some of this reliance. Among uninsured adults, 53% reported getting health information from social media, compared with 38% of insured adults. Overall, about half of people who consume health and wellness content from influencers said it helped them better understand their own health; about one-third said it made no difference, and roughly 1 in 10 said it left them more confused.
Experts who spoke with the Associated Press stressed that consumers need to approach online health claims with active skepticism. Dr. Fatima Daoud Yilmaz, an OB-GYN at Stony Brook Medicine in New York whose popular “Feminine Aisle” video series rates drugstore products, said that even when an influencer has credentials, viewers should ask whether the person is speaking within their area of expertise and whether the advice aligns with scientific consensus. “All opinions are not created equal when it comes to something such as health or medicine or science,” Daoud said.
Financial incentives also color the content. Daoud noted that while paid partnerships do not automatically mean information is biased, they should prompt consumers to “take it with a grain of salt because they do have financial incentive to be pushing information like this.” Babilya, whose platform is now her full-time job, said she tries to be upfront about sponsorships and ensures her advertisements are transparently labeled.
A red flag to watch for, experts said, is the “shock factor” — content in the first few seconds of a video that exaggerates or makes definitive claims in order to grab attention. “People who are trying to share good medical information online are not trying to incite fear or surprise,” Daoud said. Nedra Glover Tawwab, a practicing therapist and author with 1.8 million Instagram followers, models a more cautious approach in her videos on boundaries and mental health, couching advice with words like “maybe,” “sometimes,” and “perhaps.” “If you feel like you’ve found a diagnosis online, that is your sign to seek out a professional,” Tawwab said.
The passive nature of social media consumption adds to the challenge. Pew found that two-thirds of users said they stumble upon health content rather than actively seeking it out. Ash Milton, a researcher at the University of Minnesota who studies how users navigate online mental health information, said that taking control of your feed requires sustained effort. “You have to work for it because the algorithm is designed to be passive consumption,” Milton said. Milton suggested using platform tools like Instagram’s “Hidden Words” or TikTok’s “Not Interested,” but acknowledged that the algorithms may not always grasp what a user wants to avoid.
The bottom line, Daoud emphasized, is to verify any online advice with a trusted medical professional. “Ultimately, talk to the medical provider who knows you,” she said.