About one in two purportedly educational parenting tip videos on TikTok are being uploaded by a creator with no expertise, according to new research.
The Kids’ study analysed the top performing videos relating to parenting tips on the platform, finding that just 53.9 per cent of videos came from creators purported to have a relevant qualification or expertise in parenting.
It marks the first research focused on parents seeking information about their child’s health and development on TikTok, now among the most widely used social media platforms in Australia.
Embrace Research Fellow and lead author on the report Dr Karen Lombardi said that parents are at risk of exposure to misinformation as social media replaces search engines as the destination of choice for parents seeking answers about their kids’ health.
“It can often be hard to know who is and isn’t credible on social media platforms. Creators don’t always state their qualifications or expertise in their videos or profile, so it can be difficult to know who to trust,” Dr Lombardi said.
“We found videos of creators claiming to be a ‘parenting expert’ where they offered no evidence of their expertise.”
There is an opportunity for health professionals and organisations to take advantage of this imbalance and provide reliable and evidence-based information in places the public are increasingly looking for health and developmental answers. This will help to counteract any misinformation they may consume online.
TikTok, now Australia’s most-used social media platform, has become a leading source for parents seeking health-advice, a sense of community and social support. Previous research suggests that 90 per cent of parents search for medical information about their child’s health online.
The research follows a multi-team collaborative partnership at The Kids after researchers realised there was no standardised way to conduct content analysis on TikTok.
Embrace is supported by its Principal Partner, Rio Tinto, and Channel 7 Telethon Trust.