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TikTok ripe with mental health misinformation, new study reports
The internet is both excellent and horrible at spreading information and community. In one sense, it can provide access to so many people and perspectives that aren't available in a person's day-to-day life. At the same time, it can be ripe with misinformation and people who cause more harm than good. Now, a new study from The Guardian is revealing just how intertwined these two things can be. An investigation found that 52 out of the top 100 videos tagged #mentalhealthtips contained at least some misinformation, according to a team of mental health professionals. These clips discussed conditions and experiences such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma, neurodivergence and more. "TikTok is spreading misinformation by suggesting that there are secret universal tips and truths that may actually make a viewer feel even worse, like a failure, when these tips don’t simply cure," said Amber Johnston, a British Psychological Society-accredited psychologist, who reviewed videos about trauma for The Guardian. The experts identified four major themes within the misleading and inaccurate information. The first, pathologizing normal emotions, came in videos that described everyday feelings, such as tiredness or feeling anxiety around changes, as clear indicators of specific mental health disorders. They seemed to imply that experiencing any symptoms of a mental health disorder meant the viewer must be living with it. Then there was misuse of therapeutic language, whether through inaccurately describing a mental health disorder or using words like abuse, to explain certain actions, without context or nuance. The third category was reportedly the most common: unevidenced treatments and false claims. These clips include claims that a certain method can heal trauma in just one hour, that ingesting certain things causes depression and that manufactured supplements will ease anxiety. The last theme identified was anecdotal evidence. Videos in this area included recommendations to get inpatient treatment solely based on the creators' own experiences. Another showed someone in a hospital gown who implied that they were in a psychiatric unit for being too honest with their therapist. Misinformation is a tremendous issue across social media platforms, with many companies doing little to nothing about it. Take Meta, for example, which removed its fact-checking program in the US this past April. Instead, it has opted for community notes that allow for crowdsourced responses to posts. TikTok has made multiple claims over the years that it's removing "problematic" content and inaccurate videos. In a statement shared with The Guardian, a TikTok spokesperson commended the app for being a place people can share and get support for their mental health experiences. "There are clear limitations to the methodology of this study, which opposes this free expression and suggests that people should not be allowed to share their own stories." The spokesperson added that TikTok works with the World Health Organization and the NHS in the UK to provide accurate information, further claiming that the app removes 98 percent of "harmful misinformation before it’s reported to us." This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-ripe-with-mental-health-misinformation-new-study-reports-150359735.html?src=rss
The internet is both excellent and horrible at spreading information and community. In one sense, it can provide access to so many people and perspectives that aren't available in a person's day-to-day life. At the same time, it can be ripe with misinformation and people who cause more harm than good.
Now, a new study from The Guardian is revealing just how intertwined these two things can be. An investigation found that 52 out of the top 100 videos tagged #mentalhealthtips contained at least some misinformation, according to a team of mental health professionals. These clips discussed conditions and experiences such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma, neurodivergence and more.
"TikTok is spreading misinformation by suggesting that there are secret universal tips and truths that may actually make a viewer feel even worse, like a failure, when these tips don’t simply cure," said Amber Johnston, a British Psychological Society-accredited psychologist, who reviewed videos about trauma for The Guardian.
The experts identified four major themes within the misleading and inaccurate information. The first, pathologizing normal emotions, came in videos that described everyday feelings, such as tiredness or feeling anxiety around changes, as clear indicators of specific mental health disorders. They seemed to imply that experiencing any symptoms of a mental health disorder meant the viewer must be living with it.
Then there was misuse of therapeutic language, whether through inaccurately describing a mental health disorder or using words like abuse, to explain certain actions, without context or nuance. The third category was reportedly the most common: unevidenced treatments and false claims. These clips include claims that a certain method can heal trauma in just one hour, that ingesting certain things causes depression and that manufactured supplements will ease anxiety.
The last theme identified was anecdotal evidence. Videos in this area included recommendations to get inpatient treatment solely based on the creators' own experiences. Another showed someone in a hospital gown who implied that they were in a psychiatric unit for being too honest with their therapist.
Misinformation is a tremendous issue across social media platforms, with many companies doing little to nothing about it. Take Meta, for example, which removed its fact-checking program in the US this past April. Instead, it has opted for community notes that allow for crowdsourced responses to posts.
TikTok has made multiple claims over the years that it's removing "problematic" content and inaccurate videos. In a statement shared with The Guardian, a TikTok spokesperson commended the app for being a place people can share and get support for their mental health experiences. "There are clear limitations to the methodology of this study, which opposes this free expression and suggests that people should not be allowed to share their own stories."
The spokesperson added that TikTok works with the World Health Organization and the NHS in the UK to provide accurate information, further claiming that the app removes 98 percent of "harmful misinformation before it’s reported to us." This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-ripe-with-mental-health-misinformation-new-study-reports-150359735.html?src=rss
