Abstract: This study aimed to examine how physical education (PE) students engage with fitness content on TikTok. The evaluation involved 597 students enrolled in a PE 1 course across three campuses of a prominent university. Findings show that students primarily watch TikTok videos for entertainment, with male students also seeking motivation and social interaction, while female students look for escape, advice, and guidance. Engagement is highest for videos featuring body transformations, fitness tips, and motivational content, with a tendency to apply learned exercises, tips, and nutrition education. Body transformations and motivational videos effectively arouse emotions and elicit affective responses. This research highlights diverse motivations and impacts of fitness content on TikTok among PE students, contributing to the literature on social media usage and offering insights for enhancing instructional practices in PE and understanding digital media interaction.

Keywords: Social Media, Digital Technology, TikTok Consumption, Uses and Gratifications Theory, Physical Health, Digital Physical Education