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16-Year-Old Boy Says Dangerous Trend Got Him Hooked on Steroids

“If I have a heart attack at 30, I have a heart attack.”

Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

PublishedApr 7, 2026, 5:32 PM EDT

UpdatedApr 7, 2026, 5:32 PM EDT

Updated Apr 7, 2026, 5:32 PM EDTPublished Apr 7, 2026, 5:32 PM EDT

A high school student says a social media trend inspired him to start using steroids at just 16 years old.

“I was fat, ugly, short,” said Zaid Laila of Dallas in an interview with CBS Mornings. “Those three things obviously make you an unattractive male.”

“When I started taking the steroids, all those things definitely changed. Like I got more jacked and better looking,” the teen said.

His steroid of choice: a drug intended for livestock.

Laila has used illicit steroids for 10 months, specifically tren, short for trenbolone—a powerful muscle-growth drug with huge risks.

Trenbolone is manufactured for cattle and is not FDA-approved for human use.

“There is no safe human indication for this animal drug,” pediatrician Dr. Jason Nagata, who specializes in male adolescent health, told CBS. He noted that anabolic steroids can harm the liver, kidneys, and heart.

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Possessing or distributing the drug without a prescription is illegal in the U.S., yet Laila found it easy to get.

“Anyone can get their hands on it if they try,” he said.

Laila’s parents were aware of his drug usage, although he initially blocked them from seeing his social media videos.

“My dad isn’t too supportive of it,” Laila said. “He was very like, ‘What are you doing to yourself?’ Like ‘You’re going to hurt yourself.’ He’s just like worried for me.”

But Laila told his father that he planned to use the drugs—with or without his father’s blessing.

Laila’s steroid journey was sparked by videos and images he came across on social media.

“Seeing people do it is what makes you want to do it,” he said, revealing that he learned to use the drug by watching YouTube videos.

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Steroids are regularly touted by members of the so-called “looksmaxxing” movement, a popular online trend where men demonstrate ways to reach their “peak” physical attractiveness at any cost.

Typical aspirations include large, well-defined muscles, a sharp jawline, and a thick head of hair.

The Gen-Z trend can include healthy habits, like working out and quitting alcohol, but also dangerous techniques.

These include using steroids and “bone smashing,” which involves hitting one’s face with a hammer in an effort to change the bone shape.

One of the main goals—and a result frequently promised by “looksmaxxing” influencers to their young followers—is to attract romantic partners.

They often don’t realize that using illegal steroids can lead to undesirable physical side effects, many of which contradict their intended use, including long-term muscle weakness, stunted growth (in adolescents), severe acne, breast development, and premature hair loss and balding.

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Anabolic steroid use carries major risks for physiological and psychological side effects, too, including heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, liver and kidney problems, mood swings, paranoia, and aggressive behavior.

As for the serious risks, Laila was not too concerned. “If I have a heart attack at 30, I have a heart attack,” he remarked.

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A danger of the “looksmaxxing” trend is the pressure to achieve results quickly.

“Why wait 10 years ... when I could do it in less than a year?” Laila asked.

Like many who pursue “looksmaxxing,” the teen documents his journey online.

In social media videos, Laila compares his “before” state—from when he was just 15—to his more muscular appearance now, at age 16. He credits his physique to steroids and working out. At the time of publishing, he had 44,000 followers.

Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

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