Helping Patients Find Trusted Health Information and Identify Mis- and Disinformation

Question: How do you identify sources of mis- and disinformation on social media about pediatric health?

Answer: We know that adolescents look online for health information for several reasons including ease of access, for privacy, or to find others with similar lived experience. Algorithmic recommendations on platforms like Instagram and TikTok may also expose adolescents to health information that they were not seeking. Either way, the health information that they find online and on social media may vary in quality and may contain misinformation or even disinformation which can be harmful to patients.

What are mis- and disinformation?

Misinformation refers to inaccurate or false information, while disinformation refers to false information that is intentionally not true. As the JED Foundation puts it: “misinformation is mistaken info, whereas disinformation is deliberately false.”

Both can frequently be found online.

When are teens more likely to trust what they find online?

Previous studies have asked teens about whether they trust information they find online. Teens shared that they generally trust what they see, read, and hear online when the information is distributed through certain people. These include social media influencers they relate to, peers or friends that they know, or people they feel connected to offline. Here is what they said trust looked like for them across three domains:

• Trust in social media platforms: While teens note coming across “fake news” and health-focused mis/disinformation online, they described that they still trust some social media platforms because the convenience and accessibility of platforms make them appealing.
• Trust in other users: Teens described trusting celebrities and influencers who seemed authentic, inspirational, and relatable. For transgender youth in particular, trusting health information online from those representing their identities and facing the same challenges was important. To assess whether influencers’ content should be trusted, users:
  • Looked at how posts are interacted with (e.g. number of likes, views, followers) to identify the popularity and legitimacy of the influencer
  • Read through posts’ comments to see what other users think about the influencer and the health information they give
• Trust in content: Teens trusted social media content that was easy to understand and simple, meaning that it wasn’t too educational or political and that it was unbiased with clear instructions/explanations. If pop-up ads, sponsored content, clickbait, and spam were featured in health-related content, teens were less likely to believe and follow the health guidance at hand.

How can clinicians help patients find reputable sources of health information online and identify mis- and disinformation:

• Preemptively share health information resources from reputable sources that provide accurate health information on specific health topics that teens may have questions about. This includes potentially stigmatizing topics such as mental health or sexual and reproductive health, and resources on specific health conditions that the patient may have. Here are some sources to consider:
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has an alphabetized list of health topics. Each topic has a basic information page, and many topics also have additional linked resources to external sites.
  • For sexual and reproductive health, Amaze.org provides age-appropriate sexual health information for children and younger teens. Amaze has animated videos and resources in a variety of languages. Amaze also has educator and parent-facing resources.
    • Adolescents can easily find and watch Amaze videos on Youtube
  • For mental health information, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has a page dedicated to youth and young adult mental health resources. They also have a Teen and Young Adult Resource Directory with a comprehensive list of informational and mental healthcare resources.
• To address potential areas of misinformation exposure, ask your patients about what types of health information they have seen on social media and whether they have questions about that content. Giving adolescents an opportunity to discuss online health information during clinic visits can help clinicians identify areas of misinformation or confusion that they can correct with accurate health information.
• Direct patients toward digital literacy resources to learn strategies to identify misinformation and disinformation. Here are some resources that clinicians can consider sharing:
  • Our portal response for teens on identifying mis- and disinformation.
  • True or False? The Science of Perception, Misinformation, and Disinformation by Jacqueline B. Toner is a book for older children and young teens to learn about how misinformation and disinformation spread. The book focuses on the science of false beliefs.
  • The Surgeon General’s Community Toolkit for Addressing Health Misinformation provides specific guidance and resources for health care providers, educators, librarians, faith leaders, and trusted community members to understand, identify, and stop the spread of health misinformation in their communities. (Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the toolkit and other resources.)
  • While not specific to health information, Common Sense Media has a list of Fact-Checking Tools for Teens and Tweens. These tools can help adolescents verify the information they find in online sources and on social media.

References

• Best, P. et al (2016). Seeking help from everyone and no-one: Conceptualizing the online help-seeking process among adolescent males. Qualitative Health Research 26(8); 1067-1077. 
• Flanders, E. et al (2021). Young sexual minority women’s evaluation processes of online and digital sexual health information. Health Communication 36(10); 1286-1294. 
• Gowen, L. C. (2013). Online mental health information seeking in young adults with mental health challenges. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 31(2); 97-111. 
• Henderson, E. M., Keogh, E., and Eccleston, C. (2014). Why go online when you have pain? A qualitative analysis of teenagers’ use of the internet for pain management advice. Child: Care, Health, and Development, 40(4); 457-612. 
• Lal, S., Nguyen, V., & Theriault, J. (2018). Seeking mental health information and support online: experiences and perspectives of young people receiving treatment for first-episode psychosis. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 12(3); 324-330. 

Age: 13 - 17

Topics: Misinformation, disinformation, health misinformation, youth, clinicians, fake news, clickbait

Role: Clinician