False online posts fuel self-diagnosis, says study
Researchers say misinformation on social media platforms has led to a rise in young people self-diagnosing themselves with neurological conditions
BBC
Inaccurate social media posts about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism are linked to a rise in young people believing they have neurodevelopmental conditions, researchers have said.
Experts from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich and mental health Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust examined the quality of information on social media.
They analysed several studies that had assessed posts on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X, and said there was a "clear need" for more high-quality information on social media.
Dr Alice Carter, from UEA, said 52% of ADHD-related videos and 41% of autism videos on TikTok were inaccurate, something TikTok disputed.
Researchers examined 27 studies concerning 5,057 social media posts.
The rating given for misinformation ranged from 0% for videos about anxiety and depression from YouTube Kids, to 56.9% for claustrophobia videos on YouTube, the authors wrote in The Journal of Social Media Research.
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