Social media platforms, particularly TikTok, are firmly establishing their influence over health choices for youth. This rise in sharing has experts concerned about the accuracy and safety of this quickly shared information. A new study appearing in the journal Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health shows a different, troubling trend. Teenagers today are getting health advice totally rooted in anecdote and the influence of social media, not professional expertise. As a result, this trend has the potential to do Egregious Harm — particularly in fields like contraception and dermatology.
Willow, a Year 9 student, expressed her concern at the negative influence of social media on young people’s body image. She pointed out that social media is a toxic space, forcing young people to feel the need to achieve the look of unrealistic beauty standards. “They’re being presented with huge amounts of content that’s often quite persuasive. Willow continued and talked about how it can be really emotive and edgy and extremely engaging. It’s full of practical solutions and straightforward advice for the everyday issues teens deal with.
The research found that almost 50% of young people are unhappy with their bodies. An important driver of this dissatisfaction is the divisive content that they are exposed to on social media. Willow noticed all of her friends trying out all these different skincare fads. They even began adopting retinol into their routines, despite it being inadvisable for younger skin types.
Megan Bugden, a public health lecturer at La Trobe University, who co-authored the report. As an example, she highlighted the dangerous spread of misinformation from TikTok influencers who helped shape negative perceptions of contraceptive methods. Our analysis uncovered an unexpected gender disparity among TikTok creators. More than half of them—53 percent—prefer natural approaches known as “fertility awareness” and specifically want to avoid hormonal birth control. What’s more, nearly one in three of these creators said they would distrust health experts.
This misinformation has captured massive, unprecedented audiences. TikTok videos supporting these beliefs have reached an astounding 4.85 billion views and 14.6 million likes. In particular, Bugden urged people to think critically when looking at this type of content. “A lot of the advice given on TikTok is based on personal experience and beliefs rather than medical advice or evidence,” she stated.
The research showed that only 10 percent of the videos sampled were created by an actual healthcare provider. This statistic should give all of us pause about how accurate this information that we’re disseminating is. As Bugden notes, the impact of their research was limited. They reported selection bias and small sample size as limitations, and they made the decision to include only English-language videos.
They’re calling for youth to have access to trusted adult support. Bugden called upon young people to question medical professionals about the guidance they’re reading online. “Always ask your medical practitioner as well. Go in and have a discussion around some of the ideas you’ve seen online and ask how credible they are and how reliable they are, and ask them for evidence,” she advised.
Dr. Anthea Rhodes helped us understand this trend’s bigger picture implications. She emphasized the adolescent years as an important time for individuals to explore their feelings and discover who they are. “The teen years are a time of self-discovery and curiosity — for influencers and marketing giants, however, this can provide the potential for big business in a relatively vulnerable population,” she said.
