Teenage boys turning to steroids to bulk up

Surge in online sales of drugs as body-conscious young men seek easier route to muscular physique

STEROIDS are being sold online illegally to teenage boys concerned about their body image, an investigation has found.

Research carried out by BBC South East discovered that dealers were openly selling the drugs and were happy to provide them to a reporter posing as a teenager. One website claimed it used packaging discreet enough to send to a school address.

According to the Home Office, the number of 16- to 24-year-olds taking steroids in the past year rose by 19,000, the most popular drug being anabolic steroids.

Their increased use and availability have been partly attributed to the rise in muscle-conscious young men.

Ian Hamilton, a lecturer in addiction at the University of York, said: “In some ways young men have been catching up with young women over the past few years – they are more sensitive and vigilant about how they should look and this is becoming more acute.

“I think it is to do with appearance and masculinity, and the messages we absorb through social media.”

During the BBC investigation, packages containing steroids were found at the Border Force processing centre at Heathrow – one was disguised as a Christmas gift.

The investigation found scores of suppliers offering the drugs on business websites and even on Facebook.

Nick Hockmitt, of the drugs charity Addaction, said steroid use was a “hidden epidemic” with their use increasing fourfold over the past year.

Steroids are legal to use, but illegal to sell without the relevant medical licence. Misuse can lead to life-threatening illnesses such as kidney, liver and heart disease, as well as cysts, heart attacks and strokes. Sandra Gidley, from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, warned that drug dealers “lull you into a false sense of security”.

She added: “They very carefully explain the regime. But when you ask about side-effects they talk about the benefits, the muscle gain.”

The investigation comes days after it was revealed that teenagers as young as 13 were being targeted to sell cannabis and other drugs, with dealers using Instagram and Snapchat to recruit and to sell.

Instagram said people should report any content that violated its guidelines. A spokesman said: “The Instagram community must follow the law over the sale of illegal or prescription drugs.

“Our global review team checks these reports and as soon as we are made aware of violating content we work quickly to remove it.”

The Home Office statistics name cannabis as the most commonly used drug among 16- to 59-year-olds, with 6.6 per cent of respondents having taken it in the past year, followed by powder cocaine at 2.3 per cent.

They also found that one in 12 adults had taken an illicit substance in the past 12 months.