"Bigorexia" Pushed On Social Media episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 27, 2025 · 39 MIN

"Bigorexia" Pushed On Social Media

from The Dr. Phil Podcast

Young men wanting to be muscle influencers but using performance enhancement drugs say they are suffering from "bigorexia" or muscle dysmorphia. Is social media to blame? According to a recent study from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, there have been 420 million views of videos on Tik Tok pushing steroids to teens. Some experts say that trend is creating young men to develop "bigorexia," or muscle dysmorphia. Senior anchor for News on Merit Street investigates on how easy it is for teens to order illegal performance enhancement drugs online. Ryan says he was able to get these drugs online when he started bodybuilding to follow in his father, Shawn's, footsteps. He started posting his journey online and developed a huge following. At just 16 years old, Ryan says his muscle gains plateaued. So he found another way to get to superhero status until he went blind. Plus, we meet Colton who says he's using steroids now and looking to launch himself to internet stardom at whatever cost. But his fiancée Alex says she wants Colton to stop using steroids because it turns him into an angry person full of rage. And Callum Hood, head researcher at the Center for Countering Digital Hate, tells Dr. Phil about the study he led focusing on how Tik Tok videos promote steroid-like drugs. And Dr. Thomas O'Connor is a board-certified doctor of internal medicine and professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He's also known as the "Anabolic Doc" who knows firsthand what it's like to be addicted to performance enhancement drugs. Subscribe | Rate | Review | Share: YouTube: https://bit.ly/3H3lJ8n/ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4jVk6rX/ Spotify: https://bit.ly/4n6PCVZ/ Thank you to our sponsors: Home Title Lock: Go to https://hometitlelock.com/drphil/ and use promo code PHIL to get a FREE title history report and a FREE TRIAL of their Triple Lock Protection! For details visit https://hometitlelock.com/warranty Beam: Visit https://shopbeam.com/DRPHIL/ and use code DRPHIL to get an exclusive discount of up to 40% off!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Young men wanting to be muscle influencers but using performance enhancement drugs say they are suffering from "bigorexia" or muscle dysmorphia. Is social media to blame? According to a recent study from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, there have been 420 million views of videos on Tik Tok pushing steroids to teens. Some experts say that trend is creating young men to develop "bigorexia," or muscle dysmorphia. Senior anchor for News on Merit Street investigates on how easy it is for teens to order illegal performance enhancement drugs online. Ryan says he was able to get these drugs online when he started bodybuilding to follow in his father, Shawn's, footsteps. He started posting his journey online and developed a huge following. At just 16 years old, Ryan says his muscle gains plateaued. So he found another way to get to superhero status until he went blind. Plus, we meet Colton who says he's using steroids now and looking to launch himself to internet stardom at whatever cost. But his fiancée Alex says she wants Colton to stop using steroids because it turns him into an angry person full of rage. And Callum Hood, head researcher at the Center for Countering Digital Hate, tells Dr. Phil about the study he led focusing on how Tik Tok videos promote steroid-like drugs. And Dr. Thomas O'Connor is a board-certified doctor of internal medicine and professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He's also known as the "Anabolic Doc" who knows firsthand what it's like to be addicted to performance enhancement drugs. Subscribe | Rate | Review | Share: YouTube: https://bit.ly/3H3lJ8n/ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4jVk6rX/ Spotify: https://bit.ly/4n6PCVZ/ Thank you to our sponsors: Home Title Lock: Go to https://hometitlelock.com/drphil/ and use promo code PHIL to get a FREE title history report and a FREE TRIAL of their Triple Lock Protection! For details visit https://hometitlelock.com/warranty Beam: Visit https://shopbeam.com/DRPHIL/ and use code DRPHIL to get an exclusive discount of up to 40% off! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

NOW PLAYING

"Bigorexia" Pushed On Social Media

0:00 39:58

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Dr. Phil Podcast?

This episode is 39 minutes long.

When was this The Dr. Phil Podcast episode published?

This episode was published on June 27, 2025.

What is this episode about?

Young men wanting to be muscle influencers but using performance enhancement drugs say they are suffering from "bigorexia" or muscle dysmorphia. Is social media to blame? According to a recent study from the Center for Countering Digital Hate,...

Can I download this The Dr. Phil Podcast episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!