Autism Science Foundation Weekly Science Report

Autism Science Foundation Weekly Science Report


Social Media is No Substitute for Clinical Expertise

March 19, 2023

TikTok is overtaking the internet and many are using this platform to learn about a variety of psychiatric illnesses and psychological problems. But how accurate are these videos in sharing medical information? Could they be causing things like tics? Do they influence individuals to self-diagnose and cause mis-diagnosis? There is a new phenomenon labeled “munchausen by internet”, and while some of the videos might be helpful in raising awareness, others are just spreading lies and causing psychiatric problems. In other words: be careful about TikTok. If a social media platform shares videos that tell you to eat laundry detergent, maybe you should not listen to everything they say.





https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/07067437221082854



https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35473358/