The Greatest Threat to Public Health
How often do we scroll on social media and encounter unsolicited medical advice? We might even keep watching if we find it interesting enough. What many people don’t consider is that this content causes harm. Health misinformation on social media is a real threat to public health, and as conscious college students, we have a responsibility to stop it.
Former FDA commissioner Robert Califf described medical misinformation (getting the facts wrong) and disinformation (deliberately misrepresenting the truth) as the leading causes of premature death. He argued that misinformation surrounding public health may account for around three to five years of life expectancy lost in America.
Although social media is relatively new, its risks and harms are well-documented. Of particular concern to our generation is what the World Health Organization called the “infodemic,” or the spread of misinformation and disinformation around health. We’ve all heard of the kind of posts being discussed, but how many of us are doing more than just scrolling past them?
Social media has become so saturated with misinformation that one report found that up to 28% of all health claims on social media were false or misleading. This means more than one in four claims you read on social media about your health is likely ungrounded in reality.
In one reported case, two siblings developed severe symptoms after ingesting a substance called the “Miracle Mineral Solution,” a fake cure-all marketed through social media. There is also danger when misinformation convinces patients to forgo treatment: Paloma Shemirani, a 23-year-old with a treatable form of cancer, died after refusing treatment because she was influenced by online conspiracy theorists.
These are not isolated incidents. Over 5.5 billion people use social media, and millions encounter health-related content from self-described “wellness experts” offering simple advice for complicated conditions. For individuals who are vulnerable, scared or desperate for relief, influencers’ confidence can be deeply persuasive, and their advice can feel trustworthy.
Health misinformation on social media is also pushing many young men and women toward eating disorders. In particular, social media has been linked with a condition called orthorexia, which is an obsession with “clean” or restrictive eating that influencers frame as important parts of “science-backed” health protocols. Young people like students are often especially vulnerable to this kind of misinformation. Even if it doesn’t happen to you directly, it is likely to happen to someone in your community.
Social media platforms do little to nothing to combat this. What’s worse is that algorithms often amplify this sensationalized misinformation because it attracts more clicks.
Not all misinformation is malicious. In fact, much of it comes from people who genuinely want to help others feel better. The issue is that there is no real system for filtering what is accurate from what is false.
In response to this crisis, the European Union decided to fine social media companies that fail to remove misinformation. However, nothing like that exists in America. Despite being the largest global spender on healthcare, the United States has responded very weakly to one of the most dangerous threats to public health. The surgeon general called for a “whole of society approach,” which means it’s up to regulators, tech companies and consumers to prevent the spread of misinformation. This policy amounts to no enforceable laws or mechanisms.
Yet we know the outcomes of online misinformation are severe. Health and wellness advice from online sources, including AI tools that rely on unverified sources, can do significant harm.
This problem is serious but not hopeless. There are two main strategies for fighting misinformation. The first is debunking: addressing false claims directly, explaining why they are wrong and filling in the knowledge gap with correct information. This can be effective, but few have the time, energy or expertise to do it well.
A more practical strategy is to prepare ourselves in advance. This method is called “prebunking.” Like a vaccine, prebunking works by exposing people to small examples of misleading tactics so they can understand and recognize how misinformation manipulates us.
We will all benefit from arming our communities against misinformation. While people will continue to use social media for advice in many areas of life, health should not be one of them. As college students, we have a responsibility for the well-being of the people around us now and the communities we will one day lead.
The threat of medical misinformation has escalated significantly such that when we encounter medical misinformation, we should treat it as seriously as we would seeing one of our grandparents targeted by financial scammers. We should not scroll past it. We must report it, challenge it and respond with factual information when we can. It is our moral responsibility to defend our community and those most vulnerable from the harms of misinformation.
As social media becomes America’s main source of information, the number of inaccuracies affecting the public has been rising rapidly. These are effects that, if they don’t already affect someone in your immediate social circle, will become personal very soon. We should care as if this is a real threat preying on our community — and not passively. We should report these posts and make sure those around us understand the basics of how social media can manipulate us into making poor decisions, especially regarding something as important as our health.
Photo caption: Weighing true facts and fake news
Photo credit: Unsplash
