THE knives are out for one of society’s biggest menaces to public health and medicine – social media influencers.

Experts writing in The BMJ argued that biased or misleading medical advice shared by social media influencers can cause harm.

More than 70% of young adults in the US follow influencers, and over 40% have purchased products based on their recommendations, they reported, raising alarm over their growing…er, influence.

However, experts warn, influencer advice can be subject to bias – lack of medical expertise or relevant knowledge, industry influence, entrepreneurial interests, and personal beliefs – and can cause psychological, physical, financial and systemic harm.

Examples include Kim Kardashian’s recommendation to her 360 million Instagram followers that they have full body screening with magnetic resonance imaging, a costly test with no proven benefits.

Meanwhile, US chiropractor Eric Berg promotes high dose supplementation to his 14 million followers, including some that he sells which were subject to a legal warning for lead content above safety levels.

While acknowledging there may be some useful advice, including debunking of misinformation, the team called for collaboration between stakeholders – particularly governments and social media platforms – to minimise harm.

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