Should the EU regulate burgeoning health influencers?

The intersection between social media and health is expected to be explored in the next EU mandate, with discussions already underway among policymakers, according to MEPs and stakeholders speaking on the sidelines of the European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG).

Research published by the University of Vienna last November showed that social media influencers have become a significant source of health information for teens and youngsters. The study surveyed 1,000 people aged 15 to 25 in Austria, with around 30% saying they follow so-called health influencers – those who make health content their primary focus.

The study also found that roughly 30% of respondents had purchased a product recommended by an influencer for health purposes.

A Digital Fairness Act is mentioned in the mission letter of the EU Justice Commissioner-designate, Irish government nominee Michael McGrath, aiming to tackle unethical techniques, including marketing by social media influencers that exploit consumer vulnerabilities for commercial purposes.

Mental health content is also experiencing significant growth, driving high levels of online engagement. “When we talked to influencers, they told us [mental health] is clickable content,” Kathrin Karsay from the University of Vienna, who participated in the research, said in Gastein.

EU Health Commissioner-designate Olivér Várhelyi has also been tasked by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to lead an EU-wide inquiry into the broader impact of social media on EU citizens’ health.

“I would like to see more regulation when it comes to influencers discussing mental health and promoting products,” Karsay added.

‘Credible’ content creators

Some health influencers are actually medical practitioners, and during the pandemic many played a key role in combating misinformation.

One such influencer has even made his way to the European Parliament: András Kulja, a recently elected MEP and surgeon from Budapest, has 370,000 followers on social media, with over 100 million views for his health content.

At the European Health Forum Gastein, Kulja explained that his channel emerged as a result of growing scepticism surrounding life-saving medical treatments like vaccines.

“We [doctors] can easily find ourselves in a situation where treatments are available, but the issue is not availability – it’s willingness and acceptance,” he said.

According to Kulja, health communication will become increasingly important, and there is a pressing need for clear, evidence-based information for the public.

People are actively searching for health-related content, from questions about diabetes symptoms to understanding conditions like polycystic kidney disease or anxiety disorders.

“YouTube alone saw health-related content reach 300 billion views globally last year, with 3 billion of those views coming from Germany only,” said Götz Gottschalk, head of health at YouTube Germany – a platform that is not only the most popular video site but also the second-largest search engine in the world, after Google.

Searches in all languages have increased, especially during the pandemic, which also witnessed a rise in medical misinformation.

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YouTube has introduced an extra layer of verification through third-party evaluations by the World Health Organization (WHO), which works with expert groups to define what constitutes credible health information online.

These health information quality standards have led to new YouTube features that highlight authoritative sources, such as public hospitals, under videos.

Trust me, I’m a doctor

A growing number of medical practitioners are becoming influencers, demonstrating that it’s not just big-name celebrities who can disseminate health messages online.

“I wouldn’t say we need personalities like Kim Kardashian because we have Doctor Mike, an actual medical doctor with 12 to 15 million followers on YouTube,” said Gottschalk.

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Social media platforms can also be a vital resource for those with less access to information, for example from marginalised communities, Gottschalk added, citing Dr. Simi, a British Nigerian gynaecologist and health creator with 1.9 million followers on TikTok, who connects with underserved communities of Black women worldwide.

“I can also think of Arabic women living in Europe, where the idea of seeing a gynaecologist is culturally unthinkable. Now we can reach these people,” he added.

Young people still tend to trust physicians and healthcare practitioners more than general influencers. According to Professor Karsay from the University of Vienna, 70% of young people trust professionals, while around 40% trust general influencers.

But MEP Kulja warned that this isn’t enough. “On social media, having a degree isn’t enough. Credibility is something you have to build with trust,” he said.

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