Young men are being encouraged to undergo testosterone testing and start hormone therapy through Instagram and TikTok content that promotes unproven health claims while downplaying medical risks, a new international study has found.
The study was done at the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Medicine and Health, and led by Emma Grundtvig Gram, a visiting PhD student from the University of Copenhagen. It found that influencer marketing on social media is normalising unnecessary testosterone testing and treatment among healthy young men, despite these therapies being associated with potentially serious health risks including heart problems, infertility, kidney issues, blood clots, reduced libido and erectile dysfunction.
Published in Social Science & Medicine, the study analysed 46 high-reach Instagram and TikTok posts promoting testosterone tests and treatments. The accounts behind these posts had a combined audience of 6.8 million followers and generated more than 650,000 likes.
The researchers found the content was closely linked to the online manosphere, a cluster of online communities that promote narrow, hyper-masculine ideals and frame men’s health, identity and success through dominance, physical strength and sexual performance. Health and fitness misinformation is common within these spaces, and testosterone marketing has increasingly become part of this trend.
“Influencer marketing is reframing everyday experiences like fatigue, stress, lower libido or ageing as signs of testosterone ‘deficiency’ that requires medical intervention,” said Dr Brooke Nickel, senior author on the study and senior research fellow at the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health
Manosphere influencers using fear to sell testosterone products
In one message analysed in the study, a “Sex coach” on TikTok with 102k followers warned: "Watch out for this SCARY sign of low testosterone levels … you should be waking up in the morning with a boner, if you're not waking up in the morning with a boner, there’s a large possibility that you have low testosterone levels. Get it checked!"
In another post, one influencer declared: “I was like 3 numbers away from being called a female,” equating a testosterone test score with masculinity and gender distinction.
None of the posts included in the study cited scientific evidence to support their claims. 85 percent were published by individuals rather than health organisations, 67 percent included direct purchase links and 72 percent had financial interests, such as selling tests, supplements or clinic consultations.
“What we’re seeing isn’t health education, it’s marketing and fearmongering dressed up as medical advice,” said Dr Nickel. “Young, healthy men are being told that common experiences like tiredness, stress or changes in libido are signs that something is medically wrong and that testosterone is the solution.”
Testosterone marketed as a solution to a ‘masculinity crisis’
The researchers identified four recurring narratives that shape how testosterone is marketed to men online:
low testosterone as a crisis that threatens male sexuality
rebranding low testosterone as a young man’s issue linked to idealisation of unrealistically muscular bodies
an emphasis on self-optimisation and gym performance, and;
the promotion of a narrow ideal of masculinity, portraying femininity as undesirable or shameful for men.
The study shows how these narratives closely mirror those promoted within the manosphere, where hormone levels are presented as a measure of manhood and testosterone is positioned as a way for men to reclaim power, status and control.
Posts frequently used crisis language around sexual performance, energy and confidence, encouraged men to “be their own advocate” and seek testing, and positioned private clinics and direct-to-consumer products as faster and more effective than conventional healthcare.
“These messages are turning testosterone into a lifestyle enhancement product that defines masculinity,” said Dr Nickel. “The problem isn’t that men care about their health, it’s that social media is medicalising normal experiences and selling young men a dangerous, often false diagnosis.”
Why this matters for men’s health
Historically known as an age-related condition that affects older men, the social media posts included in the study repeatedly rebranded low testosterone as a problem affecting younger men, particularly those engaged in fitness and body optimisation.
Sexualised gym imagery, muscular physiques, and before and after transformation photos and stories reinforced the idea that testosterone is a gateway to strength, dominance and sexual success, while routine testing and ongoing hormone monitoring were advised.
The study highlights the medicalisation of masculinity, where normal variation in men’s bodies and experiences is reduced to a testosterone deficiency with a simple fix. The researchers say mass screening for low testosterone is not clinically recommended, as healthy men often have lower levels without symptoms, and there are significant health risks associated with testosterone therapy.
Dr Ray Moynihan, co-author and senior research fellow at the School of Public Health, said the study reveals how online misinformation is shaping young men’s identity and health choices.
“Like many men, I’m appalled by the manosphere and these misguided and misleading versions of masculinity, which only serve to undermine the capacity of men and boys to have meaningful and mature human relationships,” he said.
“Promoting testing and treatment to men without clear medical indications raises concerns about overdiagnosis and overtreatment,” added Dr Nickel. “When testosterone is sold as a shortcut to confidence and success, it’s doing more harm than good.
“Manosphere-driven health narratives can amplify fear, shame and distrust of mainstream healthcare. They shape how men understand their bodies, ageing and identity, and often lead to negative self-perception and mental health,” she said.
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