Social media’s financial advice can hurt your wallet, new study finds

Finances can be a confusing space to navigate, and often, social media feels like a place that might make it make sense. People talk honestly about their financial woes online, and it can make you feel more open to following their advice — mainly because you don’t have to pay for it,

Influencers on TikTok will tell you to get a high-yield savings account, or maybe they’ll tell you not to. They tell you how to invest or get an unstressful job you like that pays well. They tell you what you’re doing wrong — which, it turns out, is probably everything. They break down their paychecks and tell you why the advice you’re following — on the very site you’re following them — is messed up.

If that seems confusing, it’s because it is. A new report by Edelman Financial Engines found that “more than a quarter of social media users (and 42% in their 30s) said they believed financial advice or information on social media that turned out to be false or misleading.”

According to the report, since the vast majority of the population uses social media, and so many of us spend over three hours on it every day, we’re exposed to “curated lifestyles and consumerism can come at a cost.” The report shows that a quarter of users say they feel dissatisfied with their own personal wealth after using social media and comparing themselves to those online — and it’s worse for younger generations.

“Americans, who tend to spend the most time on these platforms, are particularly vulnerable: 42% of those in their 30s have fallen prey to bad advice, and 2 in 10 (19%) have been duped multiple times,” the report states. “Men are also more likely to believe misinformation online.”

This comes at a time in which young people — those between the ages of 22-24 — are “more likely to be delinquent on credit cards and car loans than the generation before them,” according to the Washington Post, and Gen Z debt loans have increased faster than their incomes. Of course, it’s not particularly surprising that users are willing to do just about anything to get out of it; half of all Americans with debt even said they’d disclose private and personal information online if it meant their debt would be erased, the Edlemen report showed.

“Don’t let scrolling impact your financial decisions,” the report reads. “As a society, we’re spending more time online and on social media than ever before, and there’s probably no changing that. But that shouldn’t mean we let our guard down against the bad advice and misinformation that’s out there. Younger generations are most susceptible to this content, so make sure to also encourage your kids to seek out guidance from qualified professionals instead of viral trends.”