When it comes to hacks and recipes, by all means, let TikTok be your guide, but when it comes to your health, no. From the self-diagnosis trend to the recycling of incomplete information, here is why people shouldn't rely on TikTok influencers for health advice. Veuer’s Maria Mercedes Galuppo has the story.
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00:00When it comes to hacks and recipes, by all means, let TikTok be your guide.
00:04But when it comes to your health, no.
00:06From the self-diagnosis trends to the recycling of incomplete information.
00:10Here is why people shouldn't rely on TikTok influencers for health advice.
00:14A study published in the Journal of Health reviewed 400 health-related videos on the platform.
00:20The majority fell into the categories of mental health, diet, exercise, and sexual health.
00:24The highest levels of engagement were seen on videos promoted by celebrities.
00:28And those that provided shock value.
00:30In both, the information provided lacked realistic behavioral changes
00:35and important information, reports the Jerusalem Post.
00:38But then there's what the authors called a problematic trend,
00:41where influencers encourage self-diagnosis of mental health conditions directed at young audiences.
00:47The researchers said that because authentic stories about people's lives tended to generate
00:51a lot more engagement than a person in a white coat sharing their opinion,
00:55new strategies need to be adopted by health professionals to provide reliable information.