Danger Behind Collecting Your Health Information From TikTok
A recent poll showed that many Generation Z look for their health information on TikTok. It’s fast and convenient and doesn’t require a hefty bill or scheduling an appointment. This approach is causing influencers and doctors to give information to viewers. However, this information can often be false, misguiding a viewer into treatment that is dangerous to their health. Viewers also get advice from influencers who are into fitness and nutrition, but this information is not backed by actual doctors..
Gen-Z Health Advice on TikTok
According to a survey conducted by Zing Coach and taken by The Hill, 56% of Gen Z utilize TikTok for fitness, nutrition, and well-being. This is their primary source of health advice. TikTok is more than twice as popular as the other choices included in the poll, with 34% of respondents claiming to use it.
14% claimed to have received guidance from friends. Eleven percent answered qualified physicians or trainers, while thirteen percent mentioned Google. According to the survey, 66% of Gen Z respondents stated they would believe TikTok videos on health if they were created by medical professionals, dietitians, or athletes. The findings also indicated that Gen Z users who rely on TikTok for health advice may be prone to danger from the misinformation they receive. One in three respondents claimed they don’t double-check the advice they receive from the app.
Additionally, three in five said they’ve seen misinformation about health or advice causing harm on TikTok. About one in 11 said they had health issues after following the advice from a TikTok video. One in 10 said that health advice should not be allowed on the app. Meanwhile, 63% want TikTok creators held accountable legally for the accuracy of their health advice. The poll was conducted among 1,000 people aged 18 to 27 and published on May 31, 2024.
However, when it came to selecting someone to listen to for advice, Gen Z was somewhat selective. A little over 66% of respondents stated that they would only heed recommendations from medical professionals. It could also be dietitians, athletes, or others with comparable experiences.
TikTok Health Misinformation
A report by the University of Chicago found that nearly half of TikTok videos analyzed by researchers contained non-factual health information. A large proportion of the misleading videos came from nonmedical influencers.
Senior Science Writer, UChicago Medicine. Credit: UChicago Medicine
According to the Independent Non-factual videos can have consequences, and it can lead to uncertainty about treatments and prevention. People can also miss out on needed medical attention because they look for alternative guidance.
“I frequently have patients in the clinic asking me questions about things they saw online or on social media. I have found that many times the information has steered patients in the wrong direction,” study author and surgeon Christopher Roxbury said. “In some cases, I see patients who have already sought out and undergone such treatment without any benefit; in rarer cases, they’ve been harmed.
“As a clinician, you can’t deny that anyone who comes into your office has probably looked for information on the internet. It is well within their means to try to understand their health,” Dimitroyannis added. “At the end of the day, patients and physicians should understand the ability of this tool. They should understand the drawbacks while accepting that there can be quality information accessible as well.”
People Aren’t Going To The Doctor
According to PBS News nearly a third of Americans lack access to medical care, including yearly checkups. 40% of U.S. adults say their going without or delaying doctor’s visits because of the financial costs. Healthcare professionals hear from people around the country about the hurdles they face.
Joseph Bagdovitz interviewed by PBS said “I just went to the doctor for a routine checkup with some blood tests, and I get this big bill in the mail a few weeks later. And that experience by itself makes me less likely to go to the doctor because there’s just so much uncertainty.”
The average patient fee ranges between $300 and $450. Unfortunately, for a lot of people insurance does not cover that.
Caroline Muse said, ” I have a lot of pain. I have arthritis, like, everywhere. And I finally had to go because I was just in a lot of pain. But then I went to get an X-ray, and they said my insurance was invalid. I called them, and they said it was valid. So now, I have to wait another, whatever, two, three weeks to get an X-ray. And so I’m still not being treated. My hands are killing me and I work really hard, and so it’s just really frustrating.”
PBS followed up with Dr. Maya Artandi from Stanford Medical School on her view on the problem of the shortage of primary care doctors and patients being in contact with one. “Yes, it definitely rings true to me. It is very hard nowadays to get a primary care doctor. Access is so minimal and it’s very expensive.”
TikTok Fitness and Nutritution Advice
Almost anything on social media can go viral, and it doesn’t need to be factually backed up, even your health information. Unfortunately, fitness-related TikToks can cause harm and danger because they are not often created with the best interest of the viewer in mind. They focus on gaining views for-profit and sincerely for your fitness goals and health.
These TikToks can also promote unhealthy and unrealistic body standards. According to CNBC, TikTok just reached around 1 billion monthly users this past September 2023. The structure of TikTok encourages you to participate in trends that have gone viral. When the trend is not healthy or safe, it can lead to body dysmorphia or long-term health effects.
A lot of viewers expect results that are dramatic in an unrealistic frame of time. This can also be harmful in the long run. By ruining your eating patterns, the way you view yourself, and body dysmorphia.
Trends on TikTok require you to follow a strict routine so that you can see the results that are displayed by the influencers. Sometimes it’s natural, and sometimes it’s not. It is also not always disclosed when the boy you are looking at has been enhanced by performance enhancers.
TikToker @campbelldrummondd outlines bodies that he believes to be natural and those that he does not believe to be genuine.
Nutrition on TikTok
A 2014 study at the Park Nicollet Melrose Center revealed that girls who use social media on a regular basis are six times more likely to engage in weight control behaviors that are unsafe. The eating disorder treatment center in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, wanted to show how social media has caused body image issues that can lead to health problems.
Nutrition goes along with the body ideals that are expected of young girls. There are tons of “what I ate in a day” videos on TikTok. The influencer outlines with pictures or actively makes the meals and shows you what they ate. However, It’s not always a realistic proportion and the influencer isn’t always a healthy weight or a healthy achievable weight. You aren’t aware of the person and their eating patterns and whether they are healthy or not. But people will take it as factual information and still follow it.
57% of Gen-Z TikTok users were influenced by or frequently adopted nutrition trends they gathered from health information on TikTok. However, only about 2% are reliable in comparison to public health and nutrition guidelines. Experts are worried about TikTok’s influence because of the potential misinformation that can influence a viewer.
