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“Why do so many people want to try it?” – How TikTok is influencing the foods teens eat

2026-08-25 23:01:56Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
“Why do so many people want to try it?” – How TikTok is
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TikTok is increasingly influencing the way teenagers eat, from viral restaurant and fast food meals to recipes and diets promoted by influencers.

But a new study suggests that parents may also have a role in limiting the platform's influence.

TikTok has become a two-way source of nutrition advice for young people. On the one hand, the platform offers recipes, cooking ideas, and healthier alternatives.

On the other hand, it exposes teens to diet culture, unrealistic beauty standards, and health claims that can be misleading. This creates a complicated environment for teens who are still building their relationship with food, health, and their bodies.

A recent study involving 15–16-year-olds found that food content on TikTok can stimulate cravings, encourage young people to try new foods, and, in some cases, influence how they eat to imitate influencers.

"Teens describe TikTok as a highly engaging environment, where content about food can quickly grab their attention and create a desire to eat or try something new," said Adrianna N. Bell, one of the study's authors.

The findings come at a time when policymakers and courts are increasingly examining the impact of social media on children and young people.

“It makes me want to try it”

The study examined how teenagers perceive the impact of TikTok on their nutrition and the role that parents play.

Young people describe an environment where trends, advertisements, recipes, restaurant reviews, and influencer content can quickly turn curiosity into appetite.

Viral foods proved particularly attractive, precisely because they are new and because it seems like everyone is trying them.

“The reason I want to try trendy food is because I think: 'Why do so many people want to try it? What's so good about it?' So it makes me want to try it,” said one of the participants.

The way food is presented also matters. Attractive visuals, professionally produced videos, and positive reviews can all encourage a desire to try it. Teens also said they consider reviews when deciding whether to trust a recommendation.

Influencers are another important factor.

One of the participants revealed that he changed his eating habits after seeing an influencer with a muscular body. According to him, he would see what foods the influencer consumed and then try to change his own diet to get closer to the same physical result.

So, the influencer doesn't need to directly promote a food product. The message can be about a lifestyle, where food is presented as part of the path to a certain body or appearance.

When fast food starts to look normal

The study also highlights the role of TikTok's algorithm.

Teens said their food choices can be influenced by what appears on their personalized “For You” page. Repeated exposure to a type of food can also change how they perceive it.

"I watch so much fast food that I no longer see it as something unhealthy, even though it actually is," said another participant.

This ties into broader concerns about food marketing on social media. Previous studies have shown that teenagers are frequently exposed to food ads online and may be more attracted to social media ads than traditional television ads.

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis also found that the promotion of foods high in fat, sugar, and salt by celebrities and influencers can increase their consumption by adolescents.

On TikTok, however, advertising can be harder to distinguish from entertainment.

A piece of food content can be a brand advertisement, an influencer recommendation, a restaurant review, a viral recipe, or simply a video where the content creator joins a trend. The commercial message can be hidden within a video that looks like regular user-generated content.

And then there are the parents

Perhaps the study's most interesting finding relates to what happens away from the screen.

Most teens said their parents played little or no role in their daily TikTok use. But when parents intervened, they described instances where it helped them cut back on exposure to food-related content and develop a more critical approach to what they saw online, Bell said.

Sometimes the intervention was not directly related to TikTok. Family meals, time spent with siblings, or simply the presence of parents could interrupt long periods of screen time and reduce exposure to food-related content.

Other teens described a more direct parental influence: teaching them to question what they see online.

One participant shared that her mother had explained to her that influencers have different bodies and lifestyles, so copying their diet doesn't necessarily mean you'll achieve the same results.

"TikTok taught me from a young age: 'Do this diet and you'll lose weight in 22 days.' And I followed it, learning the hard way," said another participant.

This shows that parental involvement may not only be about controlling TikTok usage, but also about media literacy – teaching young people to question the information they see online.

Although the study is small and exploratory, with only 25 teens, its message is clear: TikTok doesn't just show teens what food looks like. It can also influence what they find desirable, popular, and normal.


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