Binging with Babish – This YouTube channel promotes cooking at home using whole ingredients and exploring global cuisines in a fun, educational way.

Why it’s healthy: Encourages culinary skills, creativity, and a positive relationship with food.

Impact on teens: Inspires cooking over fast food, teaches life skills, and builds confidence in the kitchen.

Negative Example:

Extreme Mukbang Channels (e.g., eating huge amounts of junk food for views)

Why it’s not-so-healthy: Promotes binge-eating and unhealthy food portions for entertainment.

Impact on teens: May normalize overeating or unhealthy food choices, and distort understanding of normal portions.

@nutritionbykylie (TikTok) – A registered dietitian who provides fun, science-backed nutrition advice in an easy-to-understand format.

Why it’s healthy: Promotes balanced eating, body positivity, and evidence-based facts over fads.

Impact on teens: Teaches smart choices and debunks harmful diet myths common online.

Negative Example:

“What I Eat in a Day” videos by unqualified influencers

Why it’s not-so-healthy: Often unrealistic or overly restrictive diets presented as ideal.

Impact on teens: Can lead to disordered eating patterns, guilt around food, or body comparison.

@mikzazon (Instagram) – A mental health advocate who promotes self-love and realistic beauty standards.

Why it’s healthy: Shares unedited photos, embraces imperfections, and supports confidence in all body types.

Impact on teens: Helps reduce pressure to look “perfect” and supports mental health around appearance.

Negative Example:

Heavily edited or filtered fitness influencer posts (e.g., “perfect” bodies 24/7)

Why it’s not-so-healthy: Creates unrealistic beauty standards and body image pressure.

Impact on teens: Can lower self-esteem, lead to body dysmorphia, and increase anxiety over appearance.