'Why are my muscles so small? Teen Boys & Steroids
- Narda Skov
- Mar 23
- 2 min read
Researchers have found that appearance related social media use in adolescent boys and young men is linked to higher chances of steroid use. - Atlantic Magazine January 2025 (Image source: Daniel Gray-Barnett/The Guardian)
Once largely limited to body builders and elite athletes, these chemical cocktails, known as performance and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDS), are popping up across suburban gyms, youth sports teams and teenagers' TikTok feeds. In an increasingly body image-focused culture, fitness influencers are showing off their shredded physiques and tactics to get them - and reaching millions across social media in the process. Between 2020 and 2024 TikTok videos tagged with hashtags promoting steroid-like drugs racked up more than 580 million views among users in the U.S. alone.
This exposure can have real world consequences. A systematic review by Australian researchers at Flinders University found that appearance- related social media use in adolescent boys and young was linked to higher chances of steroid use. Unlike adults who have matured, adolescents are in a fragile developmental stage. Some effects of steroid use can be irreversible in ways that are damaging to growth and development.
Reversing the typically feminine cultural pressure to shrink thinner, rising steroid use reflects a masculine pressure to build muscle and get lean - a phenomenon dubbed the 'Adonis Complex' by author Katharine Phillips. This pressure can develop into muscle dysmorphia, a form of body dysmorphic disorder involving warped body image around muscles and leanness, and sometimes, full-blow eating disorders. Adolescence is a 'critical risk period' for body image issues in boys and young men, says Jason Nagata, an adolescent medicine specialist at UCSF who specializes in eating disorders in boys and men.
During puberty, teen boys experience significant changes in growth and muscle distribution, which can trigger concerns about their appearance, he says. It is a period when young people are forming their identities and are especially vulnerable to social input from peers, family and the media. In addition to being potential distortions of reality, Nagata says it's important for young people to understand "Who is posting this content and what are they gaining?" The Center for Countering Digital Hate found that influencers are often backed by advertising deals and affiliate commissions with supplemental companies or websites selling steroids. "Remember that a vast industry makes money by making you feel insecure about how you look!" (see Media Literacy skills and advertising - 70% of people who read magazines feel insecure and then buy products they have just seen to feel better).
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