Half of TikTok’s Top Mental Health Videos Contain ‘Misinformation’: Report
An investigation claims more than half of the top videos under TikTok’s #mentalhealthtips contain “misinformation” — but the social media giant says the report “opposes free expression”
By Cara Lynn Shultz Cara Lynn Shultz Cara Lynn Shultz is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. Her work has previously appeared in Billboard and Reader’s Digest . People Editorial Guidelines Published on June 4, 2025 04:44PM EDT 2 Comments Stock image of a stressed-out woman scrolling on her phone. Credit : Getty
NEED TO KNOW A new report by The Guardian claims that more than half of the top videos under TikTok’s #mentalhealthtips hashtag contain inaccurate information A TikTok spokesperson tells PEOPLE, “There are clear limitations to the methodology of this study” TikTik has removed two of the videos The Guardian spotlighted as problematic New research claims that more than half of the top trending videos on TikTok that offer advice under the hashtag #mentalhealthtips contain inaccurate information.
A report by The Guardian alleges that more than half of the videos found under the hashtag contain inaccurate or misleading tips. The outlet explains it came to this conclusion by taking the top 100 videos under that hashtag and sharing them with academic experts and mental health professionals for review. Examples given by the outlet include claims that you can alleviate anxiety by eating an orange in the shower.
When reached for comment, a TikTok spokesperson tells PEOPLE: “There are clear limitations to the methodology of this study which opposes free expression and suggests that people should not be allowed to share their own stories. At TikTok, we proactively work with health experts at the World Health Organization and others to promote reliable information on our platform and remove 98% of harmful misinformation before it’s reported to us.”
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A second report by The Guardian breaks down what they say are the most common categories of misinformation, like claiming normal emotions signify a mental illness. According to Dan Poulter, a former health minister and NHS psychiatrist, these videos “pathologize everyday experiences and emotions, suggesting that they equate to a diagnosis of serious mental illness … This is providing misinformation to impressionable people and can also trivialize the life experiences of people living with serious mental illnesses.”
An example, Liam Modlin, a therapist and psychology researcher at King’s College London, told the outlet, is when a video equates feeling tired or having low energy levels with depression . “While some of the ‘symptoms’ overlap with depression , these can be attributed to a range of afflictions and struggles,” he said.
The outlet also claims these popular videos misuse therapeutic language; The example of categorizing repeated apologizing as abuse, for example, “risks encouraging viewers to self-diagnose or mislabel complex relational struggles as abuse,” Modlin told the outlet, adding you need “sufficient context or diagnostic nuance.”
Another issue was with what The Guardian cited as false claims or unproven treatment: For example, instead of therapy, write about traumatic experiences for 15 minutes, which should cure you in an hour. “No research suggests this is sufficient for cure, definitely not in an hour, and there is risk of independently forcing oneself back into this traumatic mindset without the support of an experienced therapist,” Amber Johnston, an accredited psychotherapist, told the outlet.
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Per TikTok’s guidelines, “We do not allow misinformation that may cause significant harm to individuals or society, regardless of intent. We rely on independent fact-checking partners , guidance from public health authorities, and our database of previously fact-checked claims to help assess the accuracy of content.”
The social media giant has removed two of the articles mentioned in The Guardian’ s report; In September, TikTok and the World Health Organization announced a year-long partnership to create science-based videos on health and well-being.
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