More than half of the most popular TikTok videos about mental health peddle misinformation and pose a significant risk to users struggling with complex conditions, British experts warned.
Users turning to the social media platform for instant relief and solutions to treat their trauma, depression or anxiety may end up feeling more distressed after taking the flawed advice, a recent study conducted by The Guardian revealed.
“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,” Amber Johnson, a British Psychological Society-accredited psychologist, told the outlet.
“Each video is guilty of suggesting that everyone has the same experience of PTSD with similar symptoms that can easily be explained in a 30-second reel.”
The study examined the top 100 videos posted under #mentalhealthtips on the platform, which were then reviewed by psychological professionals for accuracy and potential harm.
Experts flagged 52 videos offering mental health advice on trauma, neurodivergence, anxiety, depression, and other serious disorders as misleading – with some clips dishing out vague and hollow fluff.
“This is providing misinformation to impressionable people and can also trivialize the life experiences of people living with serious mental illness,” Dan Poulter, a National Health Service psychiatrist, said.
Experts criticized the content for misusing therapeutic language, offering counsel rooted in personal experience, and making sweeping generalizations while also minimizing the complexities of certain mental health conditions, the outlet reported.
They cautioned that the dangerous tips could warp the public’s understanding of mental illness and urged government officials to implement stronger safeguards against the spread of harmful misinformation.
“Short-form, attention-grabbing soundbites can sometimes overshadow the more nuanced realities of qualified therapeutic work,” said David Okai, a psychological medical researcher at King’s College London.
In response to the outlet’s findings, TikTok boasted the platform for providing a space where millions of people can express themselves and share their “authentic” mental health journeys.
“There are clear limitations to the methodology of this study, which opposes free expression and suggests that people should not be allowed to share their own stores,” a spokesperson told The Guardian.
“We proactively work with health experts at the World Health Organization and NHS to promote reliable information on our platform and remove 98% of harmful misinformation before it’s reported to us.”
The popular app is currently facing several lawsuits in the US accusing it of harming children’s mental health with addictive features and dangerous content and causing high rates of depression and anxiety.
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