People searching for mental health support or medical advice on Spotify are now facing an unexpected and troubling threat.
Dozens of fake podcasts, disguised as helpful health shows, have been found promoting the illegal sale of prescription drugs through suspicious online pharmacies.
These shows are easy to find, and in many cases, they appear among the top search results when users look for terms like “Adderall,” “Xanax,” or “Valium.”
The situation has alarmed parents and health experts, especially because teenagers are among those most at risk.
Some families have already suffered tragic losses after young people ordered pills online and overdosed.
These podcasts often sound robotic, with short, vague episodes that direct listeners to websites selling controlled drugs without a prescription—something that is illegal in the United States and can have deadly consequences.
Spotify, the popular music and podcast platform, while reacting said it is trying to remove these pages quickly.
After being contacted about specific examples, the company took them down.
But even after those were removed, others kept popping up.
This shows how hard it can be for platforms to catch everything in time, especially when automated tools are being used to produce and upload large amounts of harmful content.
