The growth of investing advice featured on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube has been explosive in recent years.
While there are excellent commentators out there, regulators around the world are increasingly wringing their hands in dismay as more and more youngsters pile into high risk options, only to lose the lot.
This week’s money problem comes from David, whose son is hooked on getting rich quick schemes he’s found on TikTok.
Metro’s consumer champion Sarah Davidson takes a look.
The problem…
David, 51, from Leeds, writes: ‘My 19-year-old son is at university and has started investing his student loan and part-time job savings.
‘I was initially pleased he was taking an interest in his finances, but I have since realised he is getting all his advice from TikTok.
‘He is buying obscure crypto coins and trying out highly leveraged trading strategies that he clearly doesn’t understand.
‘When I try to warn him, he shows me videos of influencers in sports cars promising “guaranteed returns” and telling him he will be a millionaire by 25 if he follows their tips.
‘He thinks I am just being a cautious boomer who doesn’t understand modern wealth creation. I think he is being brainwashed by charlatans.
‘Is anyone actually regulating this space, and how can I prove to him that these videos are dangerous?’
The answer…
Watching anyone you love take big financial risks based on what is almost certainly just a slick, algorithmic format designed specifically to bypass critical thinking is bound to induce nausea.
Your son is far from alone in being mesmerised though.
For Generation Z, TikTok has become the primary search engine for financial education. The hashtag #FinTok has billions of views.
The problem, as you have correctly identified, is that the algorithm rewards confidence, brevity and emotional hooks, not accuracy, balance or risk warnings.
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The good news is that regulators are finally waking up to the scale of the problem. The bad news is that the content itself is getting worse, not better.
In April 2026, the Financial Conduct Authority spearheaded a global week of action alongside 16 other international regulators to crack down on illegal financial promotions.
In the UK alone, the FCA made 120 account takedown requests to social media platforms, identifying over 1,200 illegal financial adverts that had reached at least 2.3 million UK accounts.
Tellingly, 66% of those adverts came from individuals or firms already on the FCA’s Warning List.
The regulator has also started baring its teeth legally, securing a guilty plea from Geordie Shore’s Aaron Chalmers for illegal promotions on social media and commencing criminal proceedings against others.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has issued similar warnings.
The unfortunate reality is that you cannot force your son to stop watching TikTok and telling him he is being brainwashed will only make him defensive.
Instead, try to shift the conversation from the specific investments to the mechanics of the platform.
Ask him to consider the incentives of the person making the video.
If someone genuinely possessed a guaranteed, risk-free strategy to become a millionaire through obscure crypto coins, why would they be selling that secret for likes and affiliate links on TikTok?
Point him towards a recent study by DayTrading.com, which graded the most viral finance TikToks in September 2025 and again in April 2026.
The findings are stark. In 2026, 80% of the viral finance videos analysed received an overall grade of C or below for their accuracy, disclosures and educational value.
Not a single video scored top marks for factual accuracy.
Remind him that real investing involves probabilities, not guarantees and that anyone promising certainty in financial markets is either lying or selling something.
If a finfluencer is recommending a specific platform or product, encourage your son to use the FCA Firm Checker.
If they’re not on there, he has no protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme if things go wrong.
Social media has democratised access to financial information, which is a positive step.
But it has also democratised access to what can only be described as con artists peddling dangerous rubbish as “advice”.
Your son needs to learn to distinguish between the two before it costs him his savings.
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