Over half of social media posts about mental health and neurodivergence contain misinformation, with TikTok leading the trend, a new study finds.
Researchers from the University of East Anglia analyzed 27 studies covering 5,000 social media posts on conditions including autism, ADHD, depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. They found 56 percent contained inaccurate or unsubstantiated information.
Content on neurodivergence had the highest misinformation rates-52% for ADHD and 41% for autism on TikTok alone. YouTube averaged 22% misinformation; Facebook, under 15%.
Eleanor Chatburn, co-author, warned that engaging but misleading videos spread rapidly, particularly among youth seeking to understand their mental health.
One in seven adolescents globally lives with a mental disorder. While social media can spark self-reflection, researchers stress it must lead to clinical evaluation-not self-diagnosis. False narratives risk pathologizing normal behavior and deepening stigma.
Misinformation may also delay access to evidence-based care, experts caution.