Health risks and misinformation online – UK Anti-Doping survey exposes products ‘not for human consumption’ being promoted to youngsters on social media

• A third of young people surveyed have bought SARMs¹: A new public survey conducted by Censuswide on behalf of UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), focussing on young people, parents and carers, indicates that a third of young respondents (33%)² say they have purchased SARMs (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators) at some point in their lifetime after seeing them advertised or promoted on social media, with higher prevalence among males (39%)² than females (29%)².
• Influencers sharing misinformation: 42%³ of young people surveyed report seeing ‘superhuman’ or ‘shortcut results’ content on social media at least once a week in the past 30 days. This includes 19% who report seeing such content several times per week or daily.
• The real story and risk: SARMs are illegal to sell for human consumption and are banned in sport through the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List. Health risks include liver damage, lower natural testosterone production and cardiovascular issues (such as heart inflammation/ thrombosis). Despite this, they are widely promoted online as a "safer" alternative to anabolic steroids.  

 
Young people across the UK are being exposed online to harmful SARMs, sold in tablet form, marketed with misleading or ambiguous language, with UKAD’s survey findings revealing the scale of the problem. 

UKAD is deeply concerned about misinformation online and is highlighting the health risks as part of Clean Sport Week: Built Not Bought. 100% me (11-17 May). 

Jane Rumble, CEO of UKAD, said: 

“Clean Sport Week: Built Not Bought is all about the importance of integrity, health and well-being for elite athletes and gym-goers alike. That is why our new survey findings are so concerning. Young athletes and gym-goers are being exposed to online misinformation promoting IPEDs (Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs), including SARMs. SARMs are not ‘safer’ steroids, the associated health risks can be life-threatening. Let’s be clear, SARMs are illegal to sell for human consumption and are banned in sport.  

“Our survey has helped highlight the prevalence and misunderstanding on the issue. We want to raise awareness of the misinformation and serious health risks associated with SARMs and help keep the next generation of sports fans and future stars safe and well.” 

Laura Deas, Vice-Chair of UKAD’s Athlete Commission and retired Winter Olympic medallist, added:

 “It’s concerning to see how much exposure to content about SARMs young people are seeing online, and that almost a third⁴ of them are seeing adverts about these dangerous and illegal substances at least once a week in the past 30 days. Athletes have a duty to educate themselves and to protect the integrity of sport by not taking shortcuts, but also as role models to let the wider public understand the importance of integrity, safety and well-being in sport. 

“Don’t swallow the lie – it’s not worth your health, career or reputation.” 

A quarter (25%) of the young people surveyed had not heard of any health risks associated with IPED or SARM use.  

Unsurprisingly parents shared their concerns in survey findings⁵, though they were less aware of the frequency with which their children were seeing the adverts. Over a quarter (28%) of parents did not know how often their child (aged 14–19) had been exposed to SARMs-related content on social media in the past 30 days, with 48% believing there was no exposure at all, and only 15% believing exposure occurred at least once per week⁶. Four in five (80%)⁷ were concerned their child had been exposed to online content promoting ‘superhuman results’ or ‘shortcut results’. More than 8 in 10 (81%)⁷ parents of young people reported they were concerned their child is exposed to online content on social media that normalises the use of IPEDs. 

As part of Clean Sport Week, UKAD is partnering with the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) — the professional development body for the UK’s sport and physical activity sector and a registered charity.  

UKAD urges anyone who sees the use of SARMs in a product marketed as a food, a supplement or for human consumption, to make a report to their local authority responsible for trading standards. 

If any athlete or support personnel has concerns relating to SARMs, please check UKAD’s new Factsheet on SARMs. For athletes or support personnel with any suspicion of doping in their sport, they can report it to UKAD via the Protect Your Sport channels in confidence.

Notes 

• All SARMs are on the WADA Prohibited List and banned in competitive sport.
• SARMs (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators) were developed in the 1990s as experimental treatments for conditions including osteoporosis and muscle-wasting syndromes. No SARM has ever been approved for medical use by any medicines regulator and the Food Standards Authority have not approved any SARM as food ingredients for human consumption.
• While 26%⁸ of young people agreed that risks could be safely managed by following advice from online influencers or content creators, a larger proportion (35%)⁹ reported being uncertain or undecided.
• More than half (56%)¹⁰ of young people surveyed supported better access to information (e.g. in schools, colleges, gyms and youth club settings) about the risks of substances bought online.
• Under half (45%)¹¹ of parents reported feeling confident they understood the potential health risks associated with SARMs, whilst a similar percentage (43%) had no confidence at all.

Additional stats from the survey results that maybe of interest:

• While 26%⁸ of young people agreed that risks could be safely managed by following advice from online influencers or content creators, a larger proportion (35%)⁹ reported being uncertain or undecided.
• More than half (56%)¹⁰ of young people surveyed supported better access to information (e.g. in schools, colleges, gyms and youth club settings) about the risks of substances bought online.
• Under half (45%)¹¹ of parents reported feeling confident they understood the potential health risks associated with SARMs, whilst a similar percentage (43%) had no confidence at all.

Footnotes:

¹ 1043 young people aged 16-25 years were surveyed. 

• A third (33%) reported purchasing SARMs online at some point in their lifetime, after seeing them advertised or promoted on social media. Lifetime purchase (defined as purchasing at any point in their lifetime) was higher among males (39%) than females (29%). Roughly 1 in 15 reported purchasing SARMs in the past month and 1 in 5 purchasing in the past year (“Past year” purchase is net of options “Purchased within the past month (past 30 days)”, “Not purchased within the last month, purchased within the last year”).

² “Lifetime” purchase is the net of options “Purchased within the last month (past 30 days)”, “Not purchased within the last month, purchased in the last 12 months”, “Not purchased within the 12 last months, purchased more than a year ago”.

³ Net of options “Once per week”, “Several times per week”, “Daily or more”.

⁴ Just under a third of young people (29%) report seeing content on SARMs on social media at least once a week in the past 30 days, with 5% seeing it daily or more.

⁵ A separate sample of 1,000 parents and carers of 14–19-year-olds was surveyed independently. These respondents were not the parents or carers of the young people surveyed, and no known linkage exists between the two samples.

⁶ Net of options “Once per week”, “Several times per week”, “Daily or more”.

⁷ Net of options “Slightly concerned”, “Moderately concerned”, “Very concerned”.

⁸ Net of options “Strongly agree”, “Somewhat agree”.

⁹ Net of options “Don’t know”, “Neither agree nor disagree”.

¹⁰ Net of options “Strongly support”, “Somewhat support”.

¹¹ Net of options “Very confident”, “Quite confident”, Slightly confident.

Methodology provided by Censuswide:

The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 1005 Young People (aged 16-25) and 38 Respondents from the client link. The data was collected between 02.04.2026 - 21.04.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles.

The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 1000 Parents (Aged 29+) of Children aged 14-19. The data was collected between 02.04.2026 - 13.04.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles.