Misinformation About Sunscreen Thrives on TikTok; Here’s the Truth Behind the Videos
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
Sunscreen is toxic, cancer-causing, and unnecessarily blocks the health benefits of sun exposure... A study has found that videos with false information about sunscreens have a legion of followers on the social media platform TikTok. The study, which analyzed nearly 1,000 TikTok videos about sunscreens and is published this Thursday in PLOS Digital Health, reveals that while most promote sunscreen use, they do not generate the most interaction. Attention is drawn to those spreading misinformation. This misinformation about such an effective preventive tool as sunscreens occurs in a context where skin cancer rates are rising globally. Public health organizations have long expressed concern about the trend of misinformation regarding sunscreen on TikTok, one of the most widely used social media platforms in the world, especially among young people. A team of researchers led by Alessandro Marcon from the University of Alberta (Canada) analyzed the content of the 971 most viewed TikTok videos across the five most popular hashtags related to sunscreen (#sunscreen, #sunscreenviral, #spf, #sunscreenreview, and #sunprotection). The videos were classified based on their promotion of sunscreen, health-related criticisms, and audience interaction metrics such as views, likes, shares, and comments. The researchers found that the vast majority of the videos included in the study promoted the use of sunscreens (86.8%), while only 6% contained false criticisms, such as being harmful (1.5%) or preventing health benefits like vitamin D absorption (1.2%). Despite this small proportion, the videos focused on criticism generated significantly higher audience engagement in likes, shares, and comments compared to videos that did not contain misinformation. Additionally, the authors note that videos without false information, which are generally exclusively promotional of brands, represent 'a missed opportunity for public health,' as the content focuses on cosmetic benefits, with only 6% explicitly mentioning the reduction of cancer risk. Regarding TikTok content creators, they often promote sunscreen as part of skincare routines, where the benefits of sunscreen are more related to beauty than health. 'The misinformation about sunscreens on TikTok is a cause for concern due to the strong resonance of some misconceptions about their use among specific audiences, such as young people,' the authors state. 'Our analysis shows that TikTok is not necessarily flooded with misinformation about sunscreens, but videos that spread lies such as sunscreens being harmful or unnecessary receive comparatively high levels of audience interaction,' they emphasize.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
