TikTok videos on hair disorders lack reliability

Video content on TikTok related to hair disorders lacks reliability, even when the videos are created by dermatologists or other physicians. Still, physician-made videos were more reliable than non-physician-made videos. Citing sources and providing additional reading options are possible actions that could be taken to improve video content on hair disorders.

“TikTok is a video-focused social network with 1.4 billion monthly users,” explained Dr Betty Nguyen (University of Miami, FL, USA). “It is one of the fastest growing social media platforms in the world and has been used to spread dermatologic information.” Studies reporting on this information found that the video content had major shortcomings, even when videos were made by physicians [1,2].

The current study investigated the characteristics of TikTok’s most viewed videos on alopecia [3]. The authors looked at the type of hair condition being discussed, who made the videos, the content of the videos, and the reliability of the content. The top 25 most viewed videos for the top 8 most popular hair disorders were included in the analysis (n=200).

Videos on alopecia areata (43 million views), traction alopecia (24 million views), and trichotillomania (10 million views) were the most frequently viewed diagnoses. Patients were responsible for 64.5% of the most popular video content. Board-certified dermatologists (9.8%), self-proclaimed hair experts (8.7%), and other medical practitioners (4.4%) were other sources of popular videos. The video content was mostly about personal experiences (54.6%). However, educational videos (32.8%), hair care tips (18.6%), and product reviews (13.7%) were also common topics in the most popular videos. The educational videos covered treatment options (70.0%), aetiology (58.3%), diagnosis (15.0%), and nutrition (8.3%).

Dr Nguyen and co-investigators assessed the reliability of the content using the DISCERN score. This instrument rates the reliability and quality of online health information on a scale from 1 to 5; 1 being ‘low quality with serious or extensive shortcomings’, and 5 being ‘high quality with minimal shortcomings’. Although the videos made by physicians had higher DISCERN scores than the videos of non-physicians (2.22 vs 1.52; P<0.0001), the scores indicate that even the physician-made content had serious shortcomings. “Citing sources, discussing the risks and benefits of treatment options, and providing options for additional reading could be areas for improvement of the videos,” argued Dr Nguyen.

1. Zheng DX, et al. Pediatr Dermatol. 2021;38(1):336–338.
2. Rehman R, et al. JAAD Int. 2021;5:98–100.
3. Nguyen B, et al. Alopecia content on TikTok: A cross-sectional analysis. Session Hair disorders 1, WCD 2023, 3-8 July, Singapore, Singapore.