Youths are increasingly turning to TikTok for mental health information, making the platform an important space where young people encounter portrayals of mental illness. Through a content analysis of 210 TikTok videos, the study examined how depression-related symptoms are portrayed on the platform, how these portrayals differ by creator type, and how they relate to user engagement.
This study was published in JMIR Infodemiology and conducted by Elena Rainer as part of her master’s thesis, was developed into a full publication in collaboration with Amber van der Wal and Ine Beyens within Project AWeSoMe.
🔍 What we found:
- Diagnostic accuracy of depression-related content on TikTok is generally low.
- This holds for both medical professionals and non-professionals.
- Engagement is driven more by how content is presented (e.g., emotional appeals, personal experiences, background music) than by diagnostic accuracy.
These findings raise important questions about the depression-related content young people encounter online—and highlight the need to improve both the quality and communication of mental health information on social media.
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