GoKawiilOne second, you're watching a cute animal video, and the next, you're being given unsolicited health advice from a wellness influencer who swears a trendy diet cured their illness.
We live in a world where our social media feeds are controlled by AI algorithms that feed off engagement. And more people are engaging with health content than you might think.
A new study released on Tuesday in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that among US adults who used social media over the preceding 12 months, nearly 85% reported sharing health information, whether personal or general, on social platforms, while close to 70% participated in health-related online communities.
Though the majority of users (78%) believed that the health information they viewed on social media was false or misleading, over one in five said they made health decisions based on the content they'd seen on it.
"Clinicians, public health leaders and platforms have to take this information environment seriously," said Dr. Rohan Khera, a cardiologist and data scientist at the Yale School of Medicine and one of the study's authors.
"The goal should not simply be to tell people to avoid social media, but to improve the quality of health information in the places where people already spend time," Khera told CNET.
The study comes at a time when many are struggling to find consistent, affordable access to healthcare, making free social media health content more immediately available.
The results are based on the 7,278 people who participated in the 2024 Health Information National Trends Survey, conducted annually by the National Cancer Institute to learn about the US public's use of health- and cancer-related information.
Most of us are on social media. We need more trusted healthcare sources to join us there. hapabapa/Getty Images
Seeking health info on social media
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