Most Gen Z is turning to TikTok for health advice, citing quick responses and free advice, a recent survey found.
The survey, carried out by Coach Zing, found that 56 percent of Gen Z uses TikTok for wellness, diet and fitness advice and that a large portion of them use the platform as their primary form of health advice. Thirty-four percent said they use TikTok for most of their health advice, making it twice as popular as the other options listed.
Fourteen percent said they got advice from friends, 13 percent said from Google and 11 percent said from doctors or qualified coaches.
When asked why Gen Z is getting advice from the popular video-sharing platform, 40% said it’s because it doesn’t cost anything. Another 22% said it was because it was fast, and 5% said it was because TikTok won’t try to sell them anything.
TikTok has been under scrutiny for months as President Biden signed a bill that could ban the platform in the United States. TikTok has since sued the government over the bill, saying the law violated the First Amendment.
The survey also found that 66% of Gen Z trust TikTok videos about their health whether they come from a doctor, nutritionist or athlete. Their results also suggested that Gen Z users who turn to TikTok for health advice may be prone to misinformation because one in three say they don’t check the advice they receive from the app.
Three in five also said they had seen health misinformation or harmful advice on TikTok. About 1 in 11 said they had health problems after following advice from a TikTok video.
One in ten said health advice should be banned from the app, while 63% said TikTok creators should be held legally responsible for the accuracy of their health advice.
The survey was carried out among 1,000 people aged between 18 and 27. It was published on May 31st.
The Hill has reached out to TikTok for comment.
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