There has always been an issue with individuals relying on the Internet for medical advice, using websites such as WebMD or Wikipedia to diagnose themselves digitally. However, with TikTok blowing up in recent years, the problem has become worse and worse.
Many medical professionals do utilize TikTok in order to promote good health for the community, and also to educate people on disease, risk for disease, or possible health outbreaks that could be of concern. While users can rely on their information the majority of the time because they are a legitimate medical professional, there are many influencers on the app that provide ‘’medical’ advice. When viewing these profiles, we need to make sure we are listening correctly and doing our own research.
Especially when it comes to topics such as weight loss or diet, we are seeing many individuals without proper credentials telling their followers what to do in certain scenarios. For example, there are some influencers who give advice on ways to promote weight loss, like recommending a certain diet, supplement, or workouts. While some of this advice could be beneficial, we need to make sure we research both the influencer and what they are advising before trying it at home.
A major problem is also some of these individuals only promote certain things because they have a brand deal or partnership that is paying them to either promote a product or say certain things. Some of these influencers may not believe in a product or plan, but are rather posting the content in order to make a paycheck. Users who follow poor advice can get themselves into worse health, or start using a product that has no benefits at all.
When it comes to finding medical advice online, the dangers are more apparent than ever. TikTok does not offer fact checks or notifications that something may not be true, leading users to believe false information that could harm their health. Though TikTok is a wonderful space for exploring new ideas and products, we need to make sure we are only taking advice from those who are certified, or doing our own research to protect ourselves and our health.
