Find Your Influencers: Empowering students to navigate nutrition and fitness trends online
Be sure to check out the suggested Huddle question at the bottom of this article to discuss this important topic with your students in class, if you feel it is appropriate.
A recent report found that over 50 million people worldwide consider themselves social media influencers. It’s no surprise that our students come across and are influenced by influencers daily. In fact, another report found that two-thirds of teens in the U.S. follow influencers on social media. However, with all of these voices that students are finding and listening to on social media, it’s important to equip them with the skills to vet the influencers they follow and make sure they are giving sound advice with factual information, especially when it comes to their health, eating habits, and nutrition.
We know that TikTok influencers cover all sorts of content, from fashion to food, and more. Students often respond the most to influencer marketing because of their relatability, but not all influencers give informed advice. For example, the tag #nutrition has 1.7 million posts on TikTok, but a recent survey found that TikTok has become the biggest source of misinformation about nutrition. It’s important for students to sort through all the information influencers promote and find out what’s helpful and what’s not, as uninformed advice about nutrition can harm students’ health.
In the face of all this misinformation about nutrition found on TikTok, educators can equip students with the tools to differentiate between facts and misinformation online by encouraging them to evaluate the credibility of social media influencers and follow influencers and brands they can trust. Read on to learn more!
Showing students positive role models that amplify positivity and health
Students are interested in influencers that promote positive and healthy lifestyles by sharing content like workout routines, meal-prepping videos, what I eat in a day videos, and more. A recent report found that 16% of teens follow food influencers, another 16% follow fitness influencers, and 11% follow health influencers. Among these influencers, there have been many viral trends related to nutrition and fitness.
While not every trend we see online should be trusted and believed, one viral diet, started by food influencer Tiffany Magee in 2023, claims the diet made her lose 80 pounds and consists of vegetables and meats dipped in cottage cheese and mustard. One of her posts showcasing this diet now has over one million likes. However, as the trend has recently gained some more traction, some have criticized it for the lack of nutrients it provides. This is an example of advice that, despite going viral on social media, might not model good habits for students.
Many fitness influencers are sources of inspiration for students. Research shows that people are more likely to have a positive body image when they engage with content that focuses on exercising for health rather than appearance. One example of an influencer and rapper students may look up to is Megan Thee Stallion, a celebrity who recently teamed up with Nike to promote that fitness isn’t all about appearance. In the interview about the collaboration, Megan says that fitness should be about investing in your health, not about looking like someone you see on social media.
Because students are following these influencers who post fitness and food advice, finding positive influencers online that they can trust and align with is as important as ever. Fitness and nutrition are key to happy, healthy, and successful students in many ways, as a healthy lifestyle is linked to academic performance. So, empowering students to find influencers who are giving sound advice on these topics impacts their health and success.
TSI’s take on empowering students to find their influencers when it comes to health
Everyone wants to be able to feel good in their bodies, including the students who follow influencers that promote content like nutrition and fitness. It’s important to empower students to recognize the good advice from the bad. Educators can guide students toward positive role models that promote body positivity and healthy lives.
To further empower students to find the influencers that make them feel happy and healthy, check out these tips:
- Go with your gut: Empower students to know how certain content or influencers make them feel about themselves. If someone makes you feel bad about yourself, consider that they may not be giving good advice.
- Look for the truth: Before committing to the next viral dieting trend, encourage students to do their own research and talk to a professional about the effects of a dieting or workout trend to determine whether it will be good for them.
- Prioritize your health: Emphasize to students that appearance isn’t the only aspect of taking care of your body. Follow influencers that focus on health instead of being solely appearance-driven.
While some social media influencers may encourage students to look a certain way through nutritional and exercise trends that aren’t backed up by science, many others strive to push their audiences to be the best version of themselves. To learn more about empowering students to maintain body positivity, check out our #WinAtSocial Lesson, Breaking down the matchup between body image and sports during Women’s History Month.
#WinAtSocial Huddle Question
Huddle with your students
In a world where social media influencers play a big role in shaping our ideas about nutrition and fitness, how can you distinguish between trustworthy and potentially harmful advice? Share your strategies for evaluating the credibility of influencers and making informed decisions about your health and body image.
The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in empowering students by understanding students. Through #WinAtSocial, our gamified, peer-to-peer learning platform, we equip students, educators, and families to navigate their social world – in the classroom and beyond, online and offline – in healthy, high-character ways. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips, rather than scares and restricts. We incorporate timely topics about social media, tech use, and current events that are impacting student well-being and learning. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach life skills for the modern day, capture student voice, and provide school leaders with actionable insights. Through these insights, students play an essential role in school efforts to support their own health, happiness, and future success as we enable high-impact teaching, meaningful family conversations, and a healthy school culture.