Isotretinoin on TikTok™: misinformation getting under our skin

Chen, M K Y; Garden, Frances L.; Sebaratnam, Deshan F

doi:10.1111/ced.14810

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Given its extensive reach and better audience engagement than other traditional social media platforms [ 23 ], TikTok has the potential to be a great source of health information dissemination and become increasingly popular among general health consumers as an emerging health information source. Several studies evaluating patient education videos regarding COVID-19 [ 26 ], skin-related diseases [ 27 ], chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [ 28 ], and aesthetic surgery procedures [ 29 ] posted on TikTok have been published. These studies have revealed that the overall quality of such videos presenting health information on TikTok is low, and some even present overtly false information [ 27 , 29 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several studies evaluating patient education videos regarding COVID-19 [ 26 ], skin-related diseases [ 27 ], chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [ 28 ], and aesthetic surgery procedures [ 29 ] posted on TikTok have been published. These studies have revealed that the overall quality of such videos presenting health information on TikTok is low, and some even present overtly false information [ 27 , 29 ]. Very few studies [ 15 , 16 , 18 , 20 ] have focused on audience engagement with health care information on TikTok as compared to that with health care information on other social media platforms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quality and Audience Engagement of Takotsubo Syndrome–Related Videos on TikTok: Content Analysis

Liang¹,

Wang²,

Song³

et al. 2022

J Med Internet Res

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Background The incidence of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), also known as the broken heart syndrome or stress cardiomyopathy, is increasing worldwide. The understanding of its prognosis has been progressively evolving and currently appears to be poorer than previously thought, which has attracted the attention of researchers. An attempt to recognize the awareness of this condition among the general population drove us to analyze the dissemination of this topic on TikTok, a popular short-video–based social media platform. We found a considerable number of videos on TTS on TikTok; however, the quality of the presented information remains unknown. Objective The aim of this study was to analyze the quality and audience engagement of TTS-related videos on TikTok. Methods Videos on the TikTok platform were explored on August 2, 2021 to identify those related to TTS by using 6 Chinese keywords. A total of 2549 videos were found, of which 80 met our inclusion criteria and were evaluated for their characteristics, content, quality, and reliability. The quality and reliability were rated using the DISCERN instrument and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) criteria by 2 reviewers independently, and a score was assigned. Descriptive statistics were generated, and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for statistical analysis. Multiple linear regression was performed to evaluate the association between audience engagement and other factors such as video content, video quality, and author types. Results The scores assigned to the selected video content were low with regard to the diagnosis (0.66/2) and management (0.34/2) of TTS. The evaluated videos were found to have an average score of 36.93 out of 80 on the DISCERN instrument and 1.51 out of 4 per the JAMA criteria. None of the evaluated videos met all the JAMA criteria. The quality of the relayed information varied by source (All P<.05). TTS-related videos made by health care professionals accounted for 28% (22/80) of all the evaluated videos and had the highest DISCERN scores with an average of 40.59 out of 80. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that author types that identified as health professionals (exponentiated regression coefficient 17.48, 95% CI 2.29-133.52; P=.006) and individual science communicators (exponentiated regression coefficient 13.38, 95% CI 1.83-97.88; P=.01) were significant and independent determinants of audience engagement (in terms of the number of likes). Other author types of videos, video content, and DISCERN document scores were not associated with higher likes. Conclusions We found that the quality of videos regarding TTS for patient education on TikTok is poor. Patients should be cautious about health-related information on TikTok. The formulation of a measure for video quality review is necessary, especially when the purpose of the published content is to educate and increase awareness on a health-related topic.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality and Audience Engagement of Takotsubo Syndrome–Related Videos on TikTok: Content Analysis

Liang¹,

Wang²,

Song³

et al. 2022

J Med Internet Res

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“…TikTok (ByteDance) is a short-form video-sharing social media platform that was one of the most popular social media sites, particularly among adolescents, in the US in 2022 . Recent studies have demonstrated that users leverage this platform to discuss and offer advice on health-related topics, including eating disorders . Eating disorders are complex psychophysiological illnesses with the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Accuracy, User Engagement, and Themes of Eating Disorder Content in Social Media Short Videos

2023

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ImportanceSocial media is simultaneously home to communities of users who promote eating disorders as a lifestyle and users who advocate for recovery. As studies have confirmed an association between exposure to pro–eating disorder content and engaging in disordered eating behaviors, an examination of the accuracy of and interactions with information shared in these complex and contradictory communities can provide insights into content available to users at risk.ObjectiveTo determine the associations among themes, accuracy of information, and user engagement of eating disorder content on a short video–sharing social media platform.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis qualitative study included a thematic analysis of a sample of 200 TikTok videos, as well as user engagement metrics and content creator characteristics, between February and June 2022. Data were analyzed from March to June 2022.Main Outcomes and MeasuresContent themes, accuracy of information, user engagement, and the associations among these factors were identified in a sample of eating disorder videos on a social media platform. Data were analyzed with Pearson χ2, analysis of variance, linear regression, and random permutation tests.ResultsAmong the 200 videos assessed, 124 (62.0%) covered prorecovery content, 59 (29.5%) included pro–eating disorder content, and 17 (8.5%) contained anti–eating disorder content. Thematic analysis revealed 4 high-level themes: (1) encouraging the development or sustainment of eating disorders, (2) sharing physical or emotional experiences with eating disorders, (3) sharing narratives of recovery, and (4) social support. While the results of Pearson χ2 test indicated that videos in the prorecovery domain contained more accurate content than videos categorized in the pro–eating disorder and anti–eating disorder domains (χ24 = 157.92; P &lt; .001), the results of analysis of variance demonstrated that there was no significant difference in user engagement between informative and misleading content (likes: F = 0.110; P = .95; comments: F = 2.031; P = .13; views: F = 0.534; P = .59; shares: F = 0.691; P = .50). Results of the 10 000 random permutation tests, in which all P values were between .40 and .60 regardless of the distances, suggested that there was no significant difference in user engagement among the 3 domains.Conclusions and RelevanceThis mixed-methods qualitative analysis of misleading eating disorder information on social media found that pro–eating disorder and prorecovery communities were prevalent. However, social media users in the prorecovery community created more informative than misleading content. Furthermore, the study found no significant difference between users’ engagement with accurate vs misleading videos, which may suggest that false information alone does not influence the virality of videos.

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“…It was one of the fastest growing social media platforms, with over 2 billion total downloads since its launch [ 3 ]. Approximately 60% of monthly TikTok users in the United States are between the ages of 16 and 24 years [ 4 ]—a demographic that is at risk for tobacco initiation and uptake [ 5 ]. Additionally, the platform has also been identified as a source of pro–tobacco and tobacco product sentiment [ 6 , 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Content Analysis of Nicotine Poisoning (Nic Sick) Videos on TikTok: Retrospective Observational Infodemiology Study

Purushothaman¹,

McMann²,

Nali³

et al. 2022

J Med Internet Res

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Background TikTok is a microvideo social media platform currently experiencing rapid growth and with 60% of its monthly users between the ages of 16 and 24 years. Increased exposure to e-cigarette content on social media may influence patterns of use, including the risk of overconsumption and possible nicotine poisoning, when users engage in trending challenges online. However, there is limited research assessing the characteristics of nicotine poisoning–related content posted on social media. Objective We aimed to assess the characteristics of content on TikTok that is associated with a popular nicotine poisoning–related hashtag. Methods We collected TikTok posts associated with the hashtag #nicsick, using a Python programming package (Selenium) and used an inductive coding approach to analyze video content and characteristics of interest. Videos were manually annotated to generate a codebook of the nicotine sickness–related themes. Statistical analysis was used to compare user engagement characteristics and video length in content with and without active nicotine sickness TikTok topics. Results A total of 132 TikTok videos associated with the hashtag #nicsick were manually coded, with 52.3% (69/132) identified as discussing firsthand and secondhand reports of suspected nicotine poisoning symptoms and experiences. More than one-third of nicotine poisoning–related content (26/69, 37.68%) portrayed active vaping by users, which included content with vaping behavior such as vaping tricks and overconsumption, and 43% (30/69) of recorded users self-reported experiencing nicotine sickness, poisoning, or adverse events such as vomiting following nicotine consumption. The average follower count of users posting content related to nicotine sickness was significantly higher than that for users posting content unrelated to nicotine sickness (W=2350.5, P=.03). Conclusions TikTok users openly discuss experiences, both firsthand and secondhand, with nicotine adverse events via the #nicsick hashtag including reports of overconsumption resulting in sickness. These study results suggest that there is a need to assess the utility of digital surveillance on emerging social media platforms for vaping adverse events, particularly on sites popular among youth and young adults. As vaping product use-patterns continue to evolve, digital adverse event detection likely represents an important tool to supplement traditional methods of public health surveillance (such as poison control center prevalence numbers).

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Isotretinoin on TikTok™: misinformation getting under our skin

Cited by 9 publications

References 5 publications

Quality and Audience Engagement of Takotsubo Syndrome–Related Videos on TikTok: Content Analysis

Quality and Audience Engagement of Takotsubo Syndrome–Related Videos on TikTok: Content Analysis

Assessment of Accuracy, User Engagement, and Themes of Eating Disorder Content in Social Media Short Videos

Content Analysis of Nicotine Poisoning (Nic Sick) Videos on TikTok: Retrospective Observational Infodemiology Study

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