Fitness influencers linked to wellness brand helping run illegal steroid market on Telegram

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Quoted in the article discussing anabolic steroids and social media:

Geoff Bates, a lecturer in public health policy at the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath, said social media was “increasing the normalisation of steroid culture, linked with more prominent norms around masculinity and appearance”.

He said: “Social media is a powerful driver of how people think and see themselves, with increasing numbers using platforms to reinforce norms, expectations and standards around body image and masculinity.”

He said there is an “overlap with steroid use and wellness”, something he has consistently observed over the past 20 years.

“People using steroids often think of themselves as doing it for wellbeing reasons as part of a general fitness programme,” he said. “Some of these drugs can be used to enhance training and become part of something bigger, but the concern is that people believe they are doing something beneficial for their wellbeing when that may not necessarily be the case.