Many people are getting health advice from social media. Various diets, "medicines" that are not medicines, and misinformation that endangers health are served to us on our screens thanks to algorithms. One go from the "Suzanne Podcast" that airs on Fridays on T7.
A few weeks ago we had Dr. Rita Parashumti as a guest In our podcast, she discussed not only her work as a preventive medicine and longevity professional, but also a growing problem that is affecting entire segments of society, especially women. This episode was produced as part of our project “Women, the Truth, and the Algorithm.”
As we live and work in a world where a 30-second video can seem more convincing (and easier) than a doctor's consultation, the question is no longer whether this is happening, but how dangerous this tendency is to leave our health in the hands of "advice" on social media.
Social media, especially TikTok, has become a major source of health (mis)information, especially for young people. A massive increase in “health & wellness” content has been observed in recent years, with over 1.5 billion global users and a 600% increase in health content in just a short period of time.1 But the problem is not the quantity of information – it's the quality.
Studies also show a disturbing reality: a large part of this information is completely inaccurate. Dr. Rita Parashumti shows in our podcast that "false medical advice has the most impact because it is transmitted more easily because it is more profitable. People are waiting to hear the truth because it is much more 'brutal' and requires a lot from you. Influencers are exploiting desperation to sell something magical".
For example, a recent analysis found that up to 56% of mental health content on social media contains misinformation or unsupported claims.2TikTok turns out to be among the most problematic platforms, with a particularly high percentage of misinformation about topics like ADHD or autism.
Ultimately, the phenomenon is not just about criticism, but also about discussion and understanding. People are looking for quick, accessible, and cost-free answers – something that the traditional healthcare system often doesn't provide. But replacing the doctor with an algorithm comes at a price. Often much more expensive for health.
The solution is not far from social networks, but to develop a kind of "digital health literacy": to know who to trust, how to search for sources of information, and above all - to understand that not every video that seems convincing is true.
The article was produced with the support of the project "Support for Civil Society in Kosovo", funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and implemented by LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.
The content of this podcast is the sole responsibility of Suzanne Media and can in no way be considered to reflect the views of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
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