An explosion of 'sickfluencers' on social media is fuelling Britain's worklessness crisis by coaching people on how to maximise benefit payouts, according to a Policy Exchange report. Thousands of users on internet forums share advice on describing symptoms and completing claims forms, with encouragement to 'lay it on thick'. Sickfluencers produce 'walkthrough guides' on the process and lure people with suggestions of getting 'up to £62k in ADHD support', with some posts having tens of thousands of views.
Social media users could be lured into making claims after seeing online content when they might never have considered it otherwise, the report said. Researchers from Policy Exchange found many claimants are using AI tools like ChatGPT to produce model answers and strengthen wording of applications even without medical evidence. The rigid and tick-box nature of the current regime has left it increasingly vulnerable to exploitation by online communities, sickfluencers, and AI tools, according to the Policy Exchange report.
The rigid and tick-box nature of the current regime has left it increasingly vulnerable to exploitation by online communities, so-called 'sickfluencers', and artificial intelligence tools.
Sickfluencers are reshaping how disability claims are made, raising fears more Britons are being taught how to 'game the system', a GB News report said. Economic inactivity caused by ill health costs the UK £212 billion each year, equivalent to around 7% of national income. 8 million (a quarter of the population) in 2023/24, with the starkest rise among 16 to 24-year-olds, more than doubling from 8% to 18% in a decade.
5 million people receive Personal Independence Payment for mental health conditions, an increase of over 100,000 in the past year alone. The health and disability benefits system is increasingly at risk of being 'distorted' by sickness influencers who gain followers online by coaching potential new claimants, according to the Policy Exchange think tank. The pervasive nature of videos and posts 'normalises' a benefits lifestyle and creates an entitlement culture, the report added.
Together, these forces are reshaping how individuals understand eligibility, frame need, and interact with the welfare system, contributing to a sharp rise in successful claims and placing a growing and unsustainable strain on public finances.
Policy Exchange is calling for tighter assessment standards, comprehensive medical documentation for claims, and a major expansion of in-person assessments. Britain's benefits bill could spiral further as social media influencers and AI tools are accused of encouraging people to exploit the benefits system, a GB News report said.