Over the past few years, TikTok has changed from a simple, fun app to a primary news source for millions of users. This has made it possible for more people than ever to connect and be creative, but it has also made it easier for false information to spread, especially regarding health. The platform has been full of questionable health trends and open scams that have led people to try treatments that don’t work and are sometimes even harmful. Even though there have been efforts to stop this, TikTok is still a place where people lie about their health, and the company’s reaction has been alarmingly poor.
TikTok’s algorithm is meant to promote interesting material, yet it often puts popularity over accuracy. Because of this, it’s easy for false information to spread quickly. Many “health hacks” claim they can help you but have little scientific evidence to back them up. Fake health information is all over TikTok, from home treatments for long-term illnesses to weight loss pills that do not work.
Some of the most well-known health scams involve selling weight loss drugs that haven’t been approved by the FDA, offering dangerous detox challenges and making false promises about how to treat mental health problems without professional help. Most of the time, these trends are spread by people with many fans who have nothing to do with medicine, giving their false claims more weight. Even worse, a lot of con artists use TikTok’s e-commerce feature to sell supplements that haven’t been proven scientifically.
After getting some bad press, TikTok said it would start checking facts and work with groups to spread correct health information. Users can also report material that isn’t accurate on the platform. However, these steps are already too late.
Furthermore, TikTok’s moderation system isn’t always reliable. Often, harmful information stays online long enough for millions of views before anyone does anything about it. Even after videos are taken down, most find ways to avoid the rules, such as adjusting the content or using subtle language to avoid being caught.
Also, TikTok’s algorithm promotes iffy health advice to get interaction. Health scams will continue unless the company takes stronger steps, such as entirely blocking health-related content from untrustworthy sources, strengthening its review team, and punishing repeated offenders.
People are responsible for how they interpret the information they find online. Still, TikTok has a responsibility to ensure that its site doesn’t become a place to spread dangerous, false information. The steps being taken now are not enough, and more decisive action is needed immediately.
At the very least, TikTok should make its content rules stricter, put medical expert collaborations at the top of its list of priorities and change its algorithm to block false health information instead of promoting it. Millions of users, especially younger, trusting users, will continue to be in danger if TikTok doesn’t take responsibility.
