Educational psychologists could help to fight mental health and neurodiversity misinformation on TikTok as more young people self-diagnose based on poor quality content on the platform, a new study says. Growing numbers of young people may be labelling themselves as being neurodivergent or having mental health conditions after engaging with information online, some of which may be inaccurate. Educational psychologists and their professional bodies could engage with TikTok by creating accessible evidence-based content about neurodiversity and mental health on the platform.
Their assessments could also include a focus on how a young person interacts with social media and why they might be seeking a diagnosis . The reasons are complicated and multifaceted, rather than just because of naivety or attention-seeking. Cultural shifts in how neurodiversity is seen, and barriers faced by young people in getting adequate support are likely contributing.
The study says TikTok has the potential to be a public health tool if healthcare professionals contribute evidence-based content in an accessible way. A search by the researchers in February 2024 found the hashtag "#Autism" had 2 million posts, "#ADHD" had 3 million, "#Neurodivergent" had over 1.1 million, and "#MentalHealth" had 15.
1 million. The study, by Alma Foster and Natasha Ellis, from the University of Exeter, is published in the journal, Alma said: "Until young people and families feel confident that mental health and neurodiver.