Watch out for health information on TikTok! A study sounds the alarm

Social networks, a reliable source of health information?

Studies and surveys are unanimous: social networks have become in just a few years sources of information in many areas, including beauty and health. We can no longer count the publications that provide advice and tips for having a radiant complexion, smooth skin, or rock-solid abs, but also for treating allergies, limiting winter illnesses, or even promoting sleep.

In some cases, the lack of reliable evidence has no impact on users – in the worst case, it doesn't work – but certain information distilled by users or (pseudo) health influencers can be much more dangerous for the common man.

This is what reveals a recent study carried out by American researchers, who looked at health content broadcast on the Asian platform. Note, however, that scientists are not completely alarmist on the subject. “There is high-quality factual information on social media platforms such as TikTok, but it can be very difficult to distinguish it from information spread by influencers which may actually be harmful“, explains Dr Christopher Roxbury, physician, surgeon and expert in rhinology at the University of Chicago Medical Center, in the United States, in a press release.

Information on sinusitis scrutinized

For the purposes of their work, published in the journal Otolaryngology, the researchers analyzed health information published on the Chinese social network TikTok in order to check whether it was erroneous – or not – and to determine its origin. More specifically, the authors of the study looked at a specific health condition, in this case hashtags related to sinusitis (#sinusitis, #sinus, #sinusinfection), then conducted their work for 24 hours “to limit the effects of TikTok’s ever-changing algorithm.”

Final step: classification of the videos obtained according to content categories, content types, or even their reliability. All carried out according to the judgment of researchers, as well as tools such as The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool, a method that has proven itself for many years.

Wrong information in many cases

Verdict, almost half of the videos studied (44%) contained incorrect information. “Videos from 'non-medical influencers' – content creators with more than 10,000 followers who do not identify as medical professionals – made up almost half of all videos and were more likely to contain misinformation and having lower quality scores. (…) Healthcare professionals overwhelmingly produced educational content and received higher ratings for video quality, factual information and comparisons of benefits and harms“, emphasize the researchers.

The latter highlight the dangerous nature of “the proliferation of (these) videos on pathologies, treatments or preventive measures“Which can not only put the health of users at risk, but also encourage them not to consult an informed healthcare professional, or even to forgo essential treatment.”I often have patients ask me about what they have seen online or on social media, and I have found that this information has often steered them in the wrong direction. In some cases, I see patients who have already sought and followed such treatment without benefiting from it; in rarer cases, they suffered harm“, specifies one of the doctors behind this work.

Know how to identify reliable sources and cross-reference information

This is not a question of calling into question social networks, which can also prove reliable in terms of health content, but of warning users and guiding them to allow them to access the best possible information. . As such, the researchers recommend “cross-check information with reliable sources and consult your own trusted healthcare professionals if in doubt“.