33% Of Gen Zers Trust TikTok More Than Doctors, New Survey Shows

The $1.7 trillion federal spending bill currently being negotiated to avoid a government shutdown later this week could be bad news for TikTok. It may pass the regulations. Last week, the US Senate unanimously passed such a bill after several states took similar steps. Another bill introduced in the Senate would ban TikTok outright.

But TikTok doesn’t just represent security threats and endless ways to waste time. It’s also a popular source of health information, especially for young adults, according to a new study.

According to a survey of 2,000 U.S. adults released earlier this month by discount pharmacy service CharityRx, one-third of Gen Zers seek health advice on TikTok, and another 44% see a doctor. I use YouTube before consulting.

Overall, 1 in 5 Americans reportedly consult TikTok before their doctor when seeking treatment for a health condition. The same percentage say they trust people with health impacts more than community health professionals. Top reasons include accessibility (37%), affordability (33%) and friendliness (23%). Nearly one in five (17%) said they turned to influencers to avoid judgment from health professionals or because they do not have access to them.

“TikTok is the next WebMD,” said Ellen Rudolph, 28, founder of WellTheory, a platform for people with autoimmune diseases.

Rudolph learned firsthand the power of social media as a source of health information when he began sharing his experiences with autoimmune disease on TikTok. Her videos have been viewed millions of times.

“I have personally experienced this dramatic shift in the health research habits of our generation,” she said. We need to open a dialogue about how to meet patients where they are.”

A third of Americans report relying on social media influencers for health advice on topics such as anxiety (34%), depression (34%) and depression (33%). Among Generation Z, those numbers were even higher. More than half of Gen Z respondents (55%) say they seek advice from social media influencers about anxiety, while 49% and 44% seek information from them about depression and weight loss, respectively .

Eva Keller, 28, found the support she didn’t get from her doctor on social media. Her California-based travel blogger said she had been experiencing “strange and inexplicable” symptoms for just over a year, and she said the doctors she saw couldn’t figure out why. I was.

“In my experience, none of the doctors were proactive in trying to find the root cause of my symptoms,” says Keller. “In order to get them to do something, I have to present them with the conditions they believe to be the cause. I would like to self-diagnose.

That’s where TikTok comes in, Keller said. She sees a video of a woman her age with similar symptoms. Many doctors have also experienced running into her diagnostic barrier after running her one test at a time and not knowing what to do next.

Keller said she was inspired by what she saw on TikTok and eventually gave up trying to persuade doctors to try more tests.

“Every time I come across these videos, I try to do whatever they tell me to do to the best of my ability to relieve or relieve my symptoms and see if it helps me.” I decided to check it out.

So far, Keller says cutting out certain foods and replacing ice-cold water with room temperature water has had some positive effects.

“In fact, I’ve made more progress this month since I stopped seeking advice from my doctor than I did the entire year I was trying to get a diagnosis,” she said.

Kelsey Riley, 30, from South Carolina, a registered nurse and plant-based recipe developer, says she often gets her nutritional information and tips from social media.

“I love finding this information on TikTok because it’s so easy to access,” says Riley. “No reservations or insurance required. Anyone with an account can get the information.”

But Riley doesn’t blindly trust what she sees online.

“We need to make sure that the individuals we are getting this information from are reliable sources,” Riley said. “When I look for nutrition information on TikTok, I try to get it from properly qualified registered dietitians.”

Like Riley, most surveyed consumers are looking for influencers with the right credentials. More than half (55%) trust influencers with medical certifications or credentials, and 40% want influencers with years of experience.

Invisible sources of trust also influence consumer perceptions of influencers. Nearly a quarter of survey respondents said they trust the association with shared personal experiences (26%) and the personal victory of influencers over health (22%).

According to Matthew A. Dolman, founder and senior partner of Dolman Law Group, these may not be the best reasons to trust influencers.

“The sheer amount of medical misinformation uncovered on social media is alarming,” Dolman said. “It is important to research the issue and determine whether the source of the claim or questionable findings was provided by a reputable medical journal. Be wary of anecdotal evidence, as it may put you at greater risk, not just

Many surveyed consumers heed this warning. Three-quarters say they fact-check endorsements by health influencers, and 89% believe social media influencers are likely to contribute to misinformation about health online. I’m here. Another 36% are downright skeptical and say they don’t trust influencers to give honest advice about brands they endorse.

Despite skepticism and the fact that only 17% of consumers surveyed said they trust influencers more than their doctors for health information, many act on influencer advice. I will not stop doing it. Celebrities were rated the least trustworthy when it came to drug advice, but 51% of her consumers said celebrity endorsements would increase their willingness to buy drugs and supplements.

Dolman offers simple advice for getting the right medical care and the right treatment. “Therefore, it is imperative to consult a real licensed doctor in person, or at least via telemedicine.”