Peptides on Social Media: Understanding the Risks Behind the Hype

Written by Yuan Han Len, Amina Al-Sharaa, Mariah Issa and Dr Rebecca Raeside

Injectable peptides are becoming more visible on social media, especially among young people through fitness, wellness, and body transformation content. Scroll through TikTok or Instagram, and you may come across videos from unqualified individuals promoting peptides for faster weight loss, muscle recovery, anti-ageing, or gym performance.

As dietetics students, we are seeing more conversations about peptides both online and among our peers. With so much information on social media, it can be difficult to know what is evidence-based and what is simply marketing. So, before jumping on the latest trend, let’s take a closer look at what peptides are and what young people need to know.

What are peptides?

Peptides are short chains of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins in our body. Think of a peptide like a necklace where each pearl represents an amino acid linked together into a chain. The body naturally produces many different peptides, and they play important roles in growth, metabolism, immune function, tissue repair, and chemical signalling.

Why are peptides trending online?

Peptide content is becoming common across social media, gym culture, and wellness spaces. Posts often focus on “before and after” results, body transformation, rapid weight loss, or faster recovery. This type of content can make peptide use appear normal, safe, or even necessary to achieve the “ideal” body. The growing online visibility of injectable peptides is concerning because peptide use is increasingly being promoted to adolescents in Australia, as a “shortcut” to enhance workout performance, recovery, and physical appearance.

A search of the hashtag #peptide on TikTok shows more than 415,000 videos, highlighting how common peptide-related content has become on social media. Bear in mind this number underestimates the true scale of peptide promotion or use online, as some content may avoid direct wording and instead use coded language to reduce the chance of being flagged by TikTok’s moderation systems which restrict the promotion of these products. For example, retatrutide, frequently promoted online for rapid weight loss, is sometimes referred to as “Ratatouille” or “Reta”.

The problem is that social media often shows the outcome, not the full story. A short video may highlight dramatic results but leave out important information about side effects, product approval, dosage, contamination risks, or whether the person was medically supervised. This is particularly concerning for adolescents, who are still developing the skills needed to judge whether online health information is trustworthy. As a result, they may be more likely to accept peptide-related content at face value, especially when it is presented through influencers, transformation videos, or fitness trends.

Approved vs unapproved peptides

Some peptide-based medicines, such as GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, are prescribed by healthcare professionals for medical conditions like Type-2 diabetes. Before medicines can be approved for use in Australia, they undergo years of research and multiple stages of clinical testing to make sure they are safe, effective, and meet strict quality standards. Australia’s main medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) then reviews this evidence before deciding whether a medicine can be supplied in Australia.

However, many peptide products promoted on social media do not go through the same process. These products may be sold online “for research use only” rather than approved medicines.

The TGA has raised concerns about the growing promotion and sale of unapproved peptide products online. These include retatrutide, BPC-157, TB-500, and CJC-1295, which are commonly marketed for muscle recovery, fitness, and body transformation. However, this favourable narrative surrounding peptides is prevalent particularly across social media, which often serves as adolescents' first point of reference, as opposed to a website containing evidence-based information.

Unlike approved medicines, many of these products may be purchased online, sometimes from overseas suppliers, without going through the same testing and approval process. This means there may be less information available about how they were manufactured, stored, or quality checked before reaching the consumer. As a result, it may be harder to know exactly what is in the product and do not meet the same standards as approved medicine.

What are the risks?

The biggest risk is uncertainty.

Many unapproved peptide products have not been assessed for safety, quality, or effectiveness by the TGA. This means the long-term effects are not well understood, especially for adolescents.

This matters because adolescence is a critical period for growth and development. Some peptides may influence biological pathways linked to appetite, metabolism, hormones, and growth. While evidence on the long-term effects of many emerging peptide products in adolescents is limited, using unapproved products without medical supervision may expose adolescents to unknown risks during a vulnerable stage of development.

Injectable products also carry practical risks. If a product is contaminated, incorrectly labelled, or not sterile, it may increase the risk of infection of Hepatitis C and HIV. Using injectable products without proper medical guidance can also increase the risk of unsafe use, side effects, or interactions with other health conditions or medications, such as vomiting and diarrhoea. A product being popular online does not mean it is safe.

What needs to change?

This is not just about telling adolescents to “be careful”. The digital environment also needs to be safer.

1. Regulation needs to be strengthened.

We understand that adolescents' health behaviours are largely influenced by online narratives circling social media. The TGA and other regulatory bodies should continue public awareness campaigns, improve labelling requirements, and work with digital platforms to reduce misleading promotion of unapproved peptide products.

2. Social media platforms need to take more responsibility.

If platforms can act on other forms of misinformation, they should also act on misleading health and body transformation content. Warning labels, stronger content moderation, and clearer identification of qualified health professionals could help adolescents recognise credible information.

3. Health and media literacy should be built into schools, universities, and community programs.

Adolescents need the skills to question health claims, recognise marketing tactics, and identify when content is driven by profit rather than evidence. This is because social media trends are evolving far more rapidly than educational programs and public health campaigns. To effectively safeguard adolescents, these initiatives must adapt quickly and respond to the nuanced, fast-moving trends emerging across online platforms.

4. Adolescents should seek advice from qualified health professionals.

Doctors and accredited dietitians are your go-to professionals to seek help before considering any product for weight loss, muscle gain, or body transformation. Dietitians can provide personalised, evidence-based nutrition advice, support realistic goals, and help build sustainable habits that protect long-term wellbeing.

All in all, your health is in your hands. Choose evidence over trends, facts over hype, and long-term health over quick fixes when it comes to improving and maintaining your overall health and wellbeing.

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge A/Prof Stephanie Partridge for her guidance and oversight in writing this article.