Hi Reader,

I have a confession. About six months ago, I started taking creatine supplements. And when I really think about why — it wasn’t because my doctor recommended it. It wasn’t because I sought out the research. It’s because I kept seeing it on Instagram. Over and over. From people who looked healthy and confident and like they knew something I didn’t.

Eventually I did go read the actual studies (old habits die hard). But here’s what got me: the content got there first. It planted the seed quietly, before I’d even consciously decided to pay attention to it.

This brings me to something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. A new Pew study found that more than half of Americans under 50 get health information from social media influencers. And 16% of those influencers don’t list a single credential in their bio. Not one. And yet, most people keep watching, keep absorbing, and keep slowly changing how they think about their bodies and their health, even when they don’t fully trust what they’re hearing. There’s actually a psychological reason this happens. The more we’re exposed to a message, the more familiar it starts to feel. And familiar, over time, starts to feel like true (whether we ever consciously decided to believe it or not.) Psychologists call it the illusory truth effect.

Here’s why I’m telling you this: your tween is swimming in the same water. Except they’re also in the middle of figuring out who they are, what their body should look like, and how they should feel about themselves. The algorithm is shaping those answers whether we want to admit it or not. The good news? Getting into that conversation doesn’t have to be a big serious sit-down. Just ask them to show you something health-related they’ve seen on their feed this week. Watch it together. Wonder out loud. Ask how you’d actually know if the person knows what they’re talking about. That’s it. That’s the whole thing. I promise, it's less awkward than you think and the payoff is higher than you can imagine.

In partnership,

Dr. Rupa

P.S. If you want a real roadmap for these conversations — and a whole lot more — that’s exactly what Tech Ready is. Five self-paced modules for you and your tween to work through together. It’s available now, whenever you’re ready.

P.P.S. Drop me a line and tell me what health trend you've started following after seeing it on social media!