Throwback to the 2020 lockdown, where we were confined indoors in this unknown virus. I downloaded TikTok. I said I never would...my FOMO was real. Back to 2026... and I actually rely on it.

Recipes, relaxation tutorials, exercise, life hacks...then skin care for break outs, hair growth advice, medical advice at 3am...and I shouldn't.

I know I shouldn't. But I do.

And I'm not the only one. The reliance on the viral app used by roughly 1.12 billion users daily is increasingly being spoken about. From mental health diagnoses criteria to gut bacteria and bodily pH level hacks, we are surrounded.

Research by PlushCare found the following: "83.7% of mental health advice on TikTok is misleading. While 14.2% of videos include content that could be potentially damaging."

However, I also noticed a rise in actual trained and licensed professionals joining platforms. We see them noow on breakfast TV sofas, creating content across social media and meeting people where they are outside of the doctors office.

I contacted Dr. Manpreet Dhuffar, a Chartered Psychologist who I follow across platforms, and we had a chat about this topic. We discussed how many studies can be quoted from AI summaries that haven't been proof-checked. I expressed the concern that someone turning to the app for help and advice may not necessarily be in a space to find an academic paper and read it themselves, and we had a very insightful discussion around meeting young people where they are at now. Dr. Dhuffar said: "Traditional methods [of validating claims] have never existed in young people's worlds...we need to meet them where they are at. A 60 second clip doesn't have the same nuance as we may think it does initially but when we are distressed we might think 'this is where I need to be because I don't know where else to get help'." 

As a young user of the platform I assume many of these creators don't mean any harm, but getting the line between public/patient voice and professional information/advice can be incredibly hard to do. What's more, calling out medical misinformation feels uncomfortable when that is someone's experience who may feel invalidated...so someone like me ends up scrolling on not knowing what to do.

When I searched TikTok for this article the thing that stood out to me most was the hacks! From garlic up your nose for unblocking your nose to gummy bears that supposedly fix your insomnia, there were so many claims and so many were attached to selling products.

The American Lung Association stepped up to talk on the TikTok trend of garlic to clear mucus, and a variation of articles have covered the trend and wider health hack trends. Refinery29 interviewed Dr. Abisola Olulade, a physician based in San Diego, who said "This is not recommended and can be dangerous...It can actually worsen runny nose symptoms, which may make people falsely think it is working to help relieve a stuffy nose," Dr. Olulade says. "This running is actually a reaction to the irritation and to the strong smell."

Well...I'm glad I didn't do it. I was tempted.

But some - such as 3 day water fasts, diet hacks, and advice around more shameful areas such as intimate hygiene - could do real harm.

I think of the teenagers who decides to try these. I've read comment sections of misleading ads of creators on platforms claiming that these gummy bears will do x,y&z to your body. 

I was part of a BBC article in 2024 on social media misinformation along with medical professionals and campaigners.

It's understandable why people turn to TikTok, with a rise in the app's use happening when seeing a doctor in person became a thing of the past, and when we might not want to discuss uncomfortable or embarassing topics in person. Taboos and stigmas are such prominent issues around our bodies in our society (article to come on that!).

My top tips for anyone who comes across a video offering advice they aren't sure on:

1. Search up the creator outside of the app - do they have any credentials?
2. Watch out for people selling products through the app, remember they are being rewarded to do so. Read the reviews. No reviews? Maybe that's a red flag.
3. Look up the claims, can you find at least 2 credible sources that back it up?
4. Find and follow real professionals! Some of my favourites include Dr. Aziza Sesay a GP, Dr. Alex George for mental health, and Dr. Emily Jackson. I have bad health anxiety, so I follow Dr. Liz O'Riordan who mainly focuses on breast cancer but does loads of debunking myths and false claims online, and I also LOVE Dr. Anisha Patel a GP who literally acts out appointments so you can see how to have conversations and what to expect.

And remember...doctors are there to help us. And they want to. Never be afraid to talk to them.