Ozempic: The Newest Trending Drug for the Younger Generation
In today’s digital age, social media plays a significant role in shaping our daily lives. Helping stay connected with friends and family, and staying up to date on current events. While it is a powerful communication and influence tool, it also has a downside: its growing role in promoting drug use to young people. One drug recently became popular among the younger generation through social media. This drug is known as a GLP-1 medication, otherwise known as Ozempic.
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Weight loss has been a major focus for many people, and they have now shifted their attention to Ozempic. This FDA-approved drug is primarily used to help with blood sugar levels. The main component in this drug is called a semaglutide. The primary purpose is to help certain individuals with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, it also reduces appetite and helps with weight loss. Unfortunately, younger social media users only hear that it helps with weight loss and not that it is intended for individuals with diabetes.
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“You get this weight loss, this appetite suppression, and all of these different positive results without many side effects, if any at all, so it’s a bit difficult," said Julian Gonzalez, a content creator with a background in neurology. He talks about Ozempic being an easy way to lose weight, but still wants the younger generation to be careful taking it, especially those dealing with mental health struggles.
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“A lot of people think that losing this dramatic amount of weight will help with their psychology, but it will not, so it can be very dangerous to assess yourself,” Gonzalez said.
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According to research conducted by Cornell Healthcare Review, Ozempic became popular due to social media. In 2023, health and fitness TikTok videos found that 50% of the videos mentioned how they planned on using Ozempic to help with weight loss. Many social media creators made videos encouraging the use of Ozempic, explaining how it is an easy weight loss drug, but they rarely explained the possible health concerns. This is often a creator's effort to gain likes and followers.
"I think it is fine, so long as you are giving the right information to the crowd, I think there is no issue with promoting it," Gonzalez said.
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In these TikTok videos, creators typically only talk about the positive aspects of Ozempic and leave out important information about side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and headaches.
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“At this day and age, it is like everything goes with the media, they do not care about people’s health anymore, and that is really disconcerting, because people are really with the advent of the internet,” said a source who takes Ozempic for diabetes and did not want to be identified. They explained how the younger generation is so influenced by social media that they would rather listen to someone online than a real doctor.
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Social media algorithms can also play a role in perpetuating the use of Ozempic. Platforms often use targeted advertising to promote products and services based on a users interest and browsing history. These ads can act as triggers, tempting them to seek out substances or participate in risky behaviors. Because of this type of promotion, influencers receive significant income for endorsing the weight loss drug, because the younger generation is so drawn to media content.
“I think it is made to target younger people because they are influencers, and the people being influenced more than people in my generation.” Ellen Guarnieri, RN, and associate director, healthcare quality and safety degree programs. She discussed her experience with patients, who have used Ozempic, and explained that younger people are not concerned because their favorite influencers are promoting the drug.
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“I do not like social media promoting the product because I am afraid it takes away from a doctors job to prescribe it because there is off-label Ozempic, and I know people are taking it,” Guarnieri says.
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A Super Bowl commercial created by a company called “Hims and Hers,” which aired this year, sparked controversy by promoting the product as a fast way to lose weight.
In April 2024, TikTok created new rules for influencers promoting semaglutide medications and started cracking down on creators advertising obesity drugs.
According to an article published by The Washington Post, “the practice of boosting prescription drugs to consumers on social media falls into murky regulatory territory. Some lawmakers have raised concerns that influencers are not giving consumers a full picture of the risks of the drugs.” Even with the new rules implemented by TikTok, weight-loss influencers are now moving their content to Instagram and YouTube. In the first three months of 2024, 450,000 posts across social media platforms were created talking about Ozempic-like drugs.
Still, Ozempic is a relatively new drug, and many people do not know much about it. Social media fails to go into detail about the medication only worsens the situation. Promoting it as a fast way to lose weight makes it even scarier for the youth.
“It is a lot of pressure, right? If you do not notice you are being influenced, you still are. I mean, I am reading these ads and say, ‘oh yeah, I do need a new set of pots and pans.’ So, I cannot even imagine how the younger generation is when it comes to those type of ads,” Guarnieri said.
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However, some celebrities have spoken about their use of Ozempic and talked about the harmful side effects. Comedian Amy Schumer openly talked about the scary truth behind this drug.
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"I carry the GDF15 gene, which makes me highly susceptible to nausea—that's why I was so sick during pregnancy. I was constantly vomiting and had no energy. Sure, I looked great, but I could barely lift my head off the pillow. So what’s the point?" she said. Schumer chose to stop using Ozempic after three years and has urged celebrities to stop misleading people about the drug, emphasizing the importance of being honest and transparent about its risks.
