# Can You Trust GLP-1 Advice on TikTok? Likes Do Not Track Quality | This GLP Can you trust GLP-1 advice on TikTok? Four studies found likes a poor guide to quality | median transparency was 2 of 4, and medical creators scored higher. Publisher: This GLP Editorial Team Canonical: https://thisglp.com/research/can-you-trust-glp1-advice-on-social-media Updated: 2026-09-18 Published: 2026-09-16 [← Research](https://thisglp.com/research) Evidence # Can You Trust GLP-1 Advice on TikTok? Likes Do Not Track Quality Four studies graded GLP-1 content on social media. The median video scored 2 out of 4 for saying who made it. Likes were a poor guide to accuracy. [This GLP Editorial Team](https://thisglp.com/about)September 20267 min readUpdated September 2026 225 semaglutide videos, median score on each instrument · Global Quality Scale · is it useful · 4/5 · mDISCERN · is it reliable · 4/5 · JAMA benchmark · who wrote it, and from what · 2/4 · 82.2% were about weight loss. 2.7% were about blood sugar. **Research, not medical advice.** This GLP is independent and educational. Nothing here is a substitute for individualized care from a licensed clinician, and reading it creates no doctor–patient relationship. Talk to your own provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication, peptide, or therapy. See our [methodology](https://thisglp.com/methodology) and [terms](https://thisglp.com/terms). ## Key takeaways - Four studies scored or analyzed GLP-1 content on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and other platforms. In the two that tested it, likes did not reliably track quality. - In 225 semaglutide videos, the median transparency score was 2 out of 4. That score asks who made the video and from what sources. - In 200 TikTok and Instagram videos, 68.5% came from non-medical creators. The average DISCERN score was 28.0 out of 80. - Videos from medical professionals scored higher in both short-video studies. - A five-platform analysis found misstated side effects and indications were very common. Some posts under an Ozempic hashtag sold products with no semaglutide in them. Not on popularity. In the two studies that tested it, likes did not reliably track quality. Across 225 semaglutide videos, the median scored 2 out of 4 for saying who made it and where its claims came from. Who uploaded a video predicted its quality. The four studies measured different things. Two scored semaglutide videos on Chinese short-video apps. One scored TikTok and Instagram. One read posts across five platforms and compared them with the trial data. The trial data itself is summarized in [the side effect comparison](https://thisglp.com/research/which-glp1-has-the-worst-side-effects). ## Useful, but unsourced One study scored 225 semaglutide videos from Bilibili and the Chinese TikTok [\[1\]](https://thisglp.com/research/can-you-trust-glp1-advice-on-social-media#ref-1). Two reviewers applied three tools. Median usefulness was 4 out of 5. Median reliability was 4 out of 5. Median transparency was 2 out of 4. Transparency is a separate question from accuracy. It asks four things: who wrote it, what sources it used, what the author’s interests are, and when it was updated. A video can be accurate and still fail all four. When it does, a wrong video looks the same as a right one. Of the 225 videos, 82.2% were about weight loss against 2.7% about blood sugar, the condition the drug was developed for. The eligibility rules are set out in [the BMI cut-off guide](https://thisglp.com/research/what-bmi-do-you-need-for-a-glp1). ## Popular is not the same as good In the same study, more likes went with lower usefulness and reliability scores. On TikTok, more comments went with lower quality too. On Bilibili, more shares went with higher scores. A second study scored the top 100 semaglutide videos on each of the same two apps [\[2\]](https://thisglp.com/research/can-you-trust-glp1-advice-on-social-media#ref-2). Likes correlated only weakly with quality, r = 0.151. Longer videos scored higher on reliability but drew no more engagement. Both author groups reach the same conclusion. Engagement is a poor guide to quality. ## Who made it matters most In the first study, videos from medical professionals scored higher on all three tools. Commercial videos scored lower on usefulness and reliability. In the second, medical professionals and institutions produced the more reliable content. Medical information scored higher than personal experience videos. A third study looked at who was making the videos [\[3\]](https://thisglp.com/research/can-you-trust-glp1-advice-on-social-media#ref-3). It covered 200 TikTok and Instagram videos on GLP-1 drugs and sleeve gastrectomy. 31.5% came from medical professionals. The average DISCERN quality score was 28.0 out of 80. Instagram GLP-1 videos scored highest of the four groups. ## What gets left out A German analysis read semaglutide posts on Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook and YouTube [\[4\]](https://thisglp.com/research/can-you-trust-glp1-advice-on-social-media#ref-4). It compared them with the adverse reactions reported in the STEP trials. Misstatements about mechanism, indication, side effects and drug interactions were very common. Cost and supply shortages were barely covered. Three findings from the five-platform analysis The common stomach side effects went unmentioned on Instagram. Some posts under the Ozempic hashtag advertised products that contained no semaglutide. Weight loss result videos showed a high probability of AI modification. Those stomach effects, and how long they usually last, are covered in [the nausea timeline](https://thisglp.com/research/how-long-does-nausea-last-on-a-glp1). The analysis rated YouTube the most reputable platform. Instagram carried the least medical knowledge. ## How to check a GLP-1 video 1. Find who made it. A named clinician or institution scored higher in both short-video studies. 2. Look for a source. A trial name or a label beats a personal result. 3. Check that side effects are mentioned. Their absence was a common failure. 4. Treat a product link under a brand hashtag as unverified. Some contained no semaglutide. 5. Ignore the like count. It did not track quality in either study that measured it. A provider should cover the same ground a good video does. The standard is in [what a GLP-1 provider should do](https://thisglp.com/research/what-should-a-glp1-provider-actually-do). ## Frequently asked Can you trust GLP-1 advice on TikTok? Not on popularity. In 225 semaglutide videos the median transparency score was 2 out of 4, and more likes went with lower usefulness and reliability scores. Is semaglutide information on social media accurate? It varies by creator. Videos from medical professionals scored higher in two short-video studies, while a five-platform analysis found misstated side effects and indications very common. Do popular GLP-1 videos give better information? No. One study linked more likes to lower quality scores and another found only a weak correlation, r = 0.151. Both concluded engagement is a poor guide to quality. Are products sold under the Ozempic hashtag real semaglutide? Not always. An analysis of posts on five platforms found some products advertised under the Ozempic hashtag contained no semaglutide. ## Sources 1. \[1\] Li H, Peng F, Wang H (2026). Quality and reliability of semaglutide-related health information on Chinese short-video platforms: a cross-sectional study of Bilibili and TikTok Frontiers in Public Health. [PMID 42620396](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42620396/) 2. \[2\] Zeng J, Leng C, Chen X, Tang R, Wang Q, Zhang L (2026). Quality and Reliability of Semaglutide-Related Short Videos on TikTok and Bilibili American Journal of Health Promotion. [PMID 42077173](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42077173/) 3. \[3\] Lee S, Narula N, Weglarz M, Lee J, Kim D (2025). Evaluation of social media videos on weight-loss surgery and GLP-1 agonists: a content quality and reliability analysis Surgical Endoscopy. [PMID 40634725](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40634725/) 4. \[4\] Propfe LE, Seifert R (2026). Misrepresentation of semaglutide in social media Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology. [PMID 40682686](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40682686/) ## Where to get it ### Best GLP-1 injections Every injectable seller we can verify, with the price each one publishes and an honest read of what the trials measured. [Compare providers →](https://thisglp.com/best/compounded-semaglutide) ## More in Evidence - [ 150 minutes · Weekly activity goal · 2 days · Muscle strengthening · Adapt · Symptoms and ability ### Exercise on Ozempic: Building Strength Without Ignoring Symptoms ](https://thisglp.com/research/exercise-on-ozempic) - [ STEP 1, semaglutide 2.4 mg vs placebo, % change at 68 weeks · LDL cholesterol · −2.5% vs +1.3% · Total cholesterol · −3.3% vs +0.1% · HDL cholesterol · +5.2% vs +1.4% · Triglycerides · −21.9% vs −7.3% · Wegovy label, Table 13. Adults without diabetes. Ozempic doses are lower. ### Does Ozempic Lower Cholesterol? What the Lipid Results in the Trials Show ](https://thisglp.com/research/does-ozempic-lower-cholesterol) - [ Where the insulin reduction came from, units per day · week 4 · 13.4 total · week 26 · 21.9 · the drug itself · the weight loss · The drug’s own contribution barely moved: 11.1 then 11.4. · Everything added between weeks 4 and 26 came from weight. ### Does Semaglutide Help Type 1 Diabetes? What Two Small Trials Found ](https://thisglp.com/research/semaglutide-in-type-1-diabetes)