If you had a headache, and a person who you just met at the grocery store claimed you have a terminal illness, the chances of you believing them are slim. So why are so many young people turning to TikTok for their medical needs? It seems like when it comes to TikTok, we forget that people can lie, or stretch the truth. The titles “Trained Dietician” or “Health/Lifestyle Coach” don’t indicate a person has the credibility to be speaking about a topic — even if they have “Women’s health”, “PCOS”, or “OCD” in front of their name.
Here is a “Holistic Health Coach”, showing various foods, household products, and drinks that can cause “Digestive issues, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, acne, chronic fatigue, constantly getting sick,” and more. https://www.tiktok.com/@courthayes4/video/7411550399611587883
It’s crazy to think that Dawn laundry detergent, a protein Shake, or a candle could be the sole cause for these already vague symptoms, and by using this coach’s program, you will feel better. That is not to say that this person or people like them should be completely disregarded, but I want to call attention to how dangerous getting medical advice from TikTok is.
When people go looking for medical advice on TikTok, there is no telling if they will come across a real professional or a lifestyle blogger. With how similar the content is, it is hard to decipher the two. If someone is already anxious about their health, they will likely believe most information given to them without fact checking, or mistakenly fact check through another false source. While being able to self diagnose has many positives like validating someone’s feelings despite not having access to healthcare, it can also send people into a state of panic. With no medical professional to help them, a person might start treating this diagnosis without knowing fully if it is even correct. Headaches, insomnia, and attention issues could —on a slim chance — signify a major health issue, but it is more likely to be benign.
As someone who experiences health related anxiety, I’m not a stranger to feeling nervous after I experience mystery symptoms. Especially after hearing a random TikTok mom say that my headache could be a cancerous tumor, these videos don’t create any confidence. As a young adult who goes to college out of state, my healthcare is limited, leaving me to become hyper-vigilant about my health. Young adults, especially women and marginalized communities, don’t always have consistent and reliable access to a doctor or healthcare professional no matter the state of life they are in. So it may be easy for some to say “just don’t believe those people”, but when we hold these unanswered health concerns, any information (good or bad) makes its way into our conscience.
TikTok may be a good starting place, but using it for medical advice is inevitably going to do more harm than good. Rather than get caught in a never ending rabbit hole of symptoms and self diagnosis, we need to bring more awareness to the gaps in our healthcare system. If more people had a trusted doctor, or reliable source of medical advice, a TikTok diagnosis wouldn’t be needed. I hope that as our healthcare system becomes more inclusive, people won’t feel the need to turn to TikTok as their doctor.
ShoutOut! James Madison University 