TikTok has become a popular tool for the younger generation to obtain nutrition and food information (Durbano et al., 2022). The ability for users to create, share, and participate in networking with content on social media influences dietary behaviours (Chau et al., 2018). There needs to be more insight into the content being shared and guidance on minimizing potential harm to health and well-being (Pagoto et al., 2019). The paper examines the nutrition communication content of 100 #healthyeating videos posted on TikTok in July 2023, through a thematic analysis, to be analyzed against agenda-setting theory and social affordance. The data suggests that social media is mainly related to weight loss and body image, impacting the public’s self-esteem and attitude towards food. While nutritionists and dietitians have the most credibility when sharing reliable content to the public, they only make up 10% of the individuals posting nutritional information online.
Esther Deng (Tue,) studied this question.