Research Studies Confirm Unauthorised Sale of Anabolic Steroids Via Social Media and E-commerce Sites

Social media fitness culture is a phenomenon of our times. The potential dangers of this influential scene have been uncovered in two new research studies which investigate the unauthorised sale of steroids via popular social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, as well as the sale of ‘grey market’ enhancement drugs through mainstream e-commerce sites such as Amazon.

The findings have highlighted the need for policy reviews that would ensure that younger and potentially vulnerable people do not come into harm by procuring uncontrolled supplements.

The research took place over two studies and was conducted by a team of social and behavioural scientists at the University of Lincoln, UK, Northumbria University and KU Leuven, Belgium. The teams explored the rise of mainstream platforms as new, popular sources for young people in the UK to acquire anabolic androgenic steroids and, in addition, the unregulated retail of novel synthetic peptide hormones (SPH).

In previous decades, the bodybuilding subculture provided a ‘safer’ means of steroid acquisition and amateur bodybuilders would typically access and use such drugs under the supervision of their informed and experienced peers, mitigating harm to the user. One study, “Emerging anabolic androgenic steroid markets; the prominence of social media”, found that steroids are now easily available to anyone interested, with social media influencers actively encouraging sales of steroids to their followers, driving traffic to custom third-party sites for the sale of these products. A complementary study, “Click, click, buy: The market for novel synthetic peptide hormones on mainstream e-commerce platforms in the UK” confirmed that well-known e-commerce sites are trading illicit, unregulated human performance drugs that are actually listed as ‘research chemicals’, despite being known performance-enhancing peptides.

Dr Luke Turnock, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Lincoln, said: “Our research shows the rising availability of both steroids and grey market enhancement drugs in a variety of mainstream digital spaces, from social media to everyday e-commerce platforms. Our main concerns are that people may be buying these drugs without no cultural understanding around safe use that were typically offered when sales were limited to hardcore bodybuilding gyms and online forums, which could lead to greater harm among less-informed users.

“Between the promotion of ‘wellbeing’ drugs on sites like Amazon, and the marketing of steroids to a younger audience on social media in a digital space where a muscular physique attracts countless ‘Likes’ and social capital, we believe this growing accessibility of enhancers for those not embedded in traditional lifting subcultures may lead to increased popular use of these drugs and, more importantly, use among people who are less informed regarding harms and safer use.”

Dr Nick Gibbs, Criminology Lecturer at the University of Northumbria, said: “We’ve also grown increasingly interested in community-led and non-public sector harm reduction and how these developments have arisen against a backdrop of limited public health provision. We are actively pursuing this idea with current and planned research.”

Dr Luke Cox at KU Leuven, Belgium, said: “The study reveals that major social media platforms are being used for the blatant and public sale and advertisement of anabolic androgenic steroids (the most common image and performance enhancing substances). It appears that sellers are exploiting the lax enforcement of social media regulations and enjoy the relative anonymity afforded by these platforms to sell these drugs.

“Marketing tactics employed by some sellers include using their muscular bodies, which arelikely enhanced by these steroids, to attract potential customers. Additionally, they use ‘before and after’ images that show remarkable bodily transformations within six to 12 weeks to persuade customers to buy their products. The sale and acquisition of steroids, facilitated by social media, is not only a concern for law enforcement but also for public health and the anti-doping industry.”

The study, “Emerging anabolic androgenic steroid markets; the prominence of social media” is published in the journal Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy and is available to read online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687637.2023.2176286?journalCode=idep20.

The study, “Click, click, buy: The market for novel synthetic peptide hormones on mainstream e-commerce platforms in the UK” is published in the journal Performance Enhancement & Health and can be read online: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211266923000117?via%3Dihub.