UK Group Pushes for Verified Fitness Trainer Badge on Social Media
As misinformation tightens its grip on wellness culture, Active IQ’s “Trust Your Trainer” campaign is urging social media platforms to help users identify qualified experts
Social media has become one of the most powerful ways to reach fitness and wellness consumers, but not always the safest.
As misinformation tightens its grip on wellness culture, Active IQ is calling for stronger accountability, citing growing evidence that health and nutrition influencers on TikTok and Instagram often overlook potential risks and prioritize engagement over accuracy.
Now, the U.K.-based awarding body for the physical activity sector has launched its “Trust Your Trainer” campaign, urging social media companies such as Meta and TikTok to introduce a trust mark as a visible indicator that the person sharing advice holds recognized and regulated credentials.
“Social media can and should be a force for good in supporting healthier lifestyles, but without stronger safeguarding, it risks undermining public health and professional expertise,” Active IQ managing director Jenny Patrickson said. “From dangerous weight loss hacks to unqualified influencers pushing extreme training routines or unregulated supplements, the content flooding feeds is not just misleading, but putting people at risk.”
The benefits, Active IQ points out, are twofold.
For verified fitness professionals, a trust mark would reinforce credibility, boost visibility and strengthen audience relationships, ultimately increasing their value. For social media users and consumers, it would help them identify qualified professionals and credible voices in a crowded, often confusing online fitness space.
Oliver Liddle, an ambassador for the Trust Your Trainer campaign, noted that unverified coaches and trainers dilute the market for qualified professionals like himself. He’s joined by Claire Floquet and Robyn Drummond, two other personal trainers who support the mission.
“Too often advice is shared without consideration for safety or scientific backing, and I can’t emphasize enough that a sizable following doesn’t qualify you as an expert,” Drummond said. “This manifesto is an important step towards tackling misinformation and ensuring those seeking guidance can trust the information they’re getting.”
Drummond has a personal experience tied to the campaign. In a YouTube video, she shared that she was once led down a very dark route after following an unqualified fitness influencer online, engaging in restrictive diets. The experience led to an eating disorder, and while she recovered, she said it took several years.
“This is an important and timely initiative,” Active IQ consultant David Stalker said. “It is the responsibility of our industry to ensure people are guided towards safe, credible information that supports long-term health and well-being. We fully support Active IQ’s call for greater accountability from social media platforms and urge the sector to get behind this manifesto.”
The conversation around trust and even relatability in fitness is growing louder. Recent research found that overly polished, hyper-attractive influencers see lower engagement, suggesting users are starting to favor authenticity and would likely appreciate Active IQ’s push for verified expertise online.
It’s not just the fitness industry that’s paying attention. U.S.-based law firm Ferguson and Ferguson recently highlighted the legal risks tied to unqualified fitness advice, noting that influencers who promote high-risk workouts without proper disclaimers or credentials could be held liable if followers are injured. In a September blog post, the firm outlined the importance of clear disclaimers, liability waivers and adequate insurance coverage.
Active IQ is inviting operators, training providers and fitness professionals to sign the manifesto and pressure social media companies to act.
Those supporting the campaign are encouraged to download and share the Trust Your Trainer badge across their social channels, tagging Active IQ to help amplify the message.