A Pew Research Center analysis of more than 500,000 posts from over 6,000 health and wellness influencers on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube found that 38% of content promoted a product, service or subscription. Posts about over-the-counter medications or dietary supplements were especially commercial — roughly two-thirds included a promotional element.
Pew also found that 11% of posts warned about a direct health harm, and 9% cited an outside source when making a health claim. Separately, prior Pew research showed about a quarter of Americans who follow health influencers say the content leaves them feeling more worried about their overall health.
