UCSC Study looks into Tiktok Cooking

A new study out of UC Santa Cruz shows that how people's social media habits can lead to more offline activity looking into how often tiktok users make healthy recipes they see on the app.

The study is using these recipes as a vehicle to explore how online activity can influence offline activity, like taking these recipes that are popular online and actually cooking them at home.

People interviewed, some as young as 13, say they often went back to recipes they found online and used them to negotiate with parents on dinner choices. Researchers finding that social media helps teens learn more about food independently and even change their long term cooking habits. Teens also say that this cooking content online has helped them learn what foods are healthy, even if they didn't always follow through with making the recipe for themselves.

This report comes as more studies are published about the negative effects of social media use, UCSC researchers hoping that this study adds to that conversation, showing that it's not a black and white issue, and there can be positives from Social media use, like helping young people eat healthier.