P3C068: (Mis)information Regarding Health Policy in a Post-dobbs U.S.A

Background: Social media consumption has recently increased among minors. TikTok is a video-sharing app with one billion users monthly, with the majority being young people. Post-Dobbs content is popular amongst viewers, with medical and legal content accuracy left to viewer discretion. This study examines post-Dobbs content to highlight educational deficiencies that clinicians should address with pediatric populations.

Methods: The top TikTok videos under #postroe, #roevwade, #roevswade, #dobbs, #dobbsvjackson, and #reproductiverights were collected using an online web scraper. The following data were collected: 1) creator’s profession and gender; 2) mentions sexual health or birth control; 3) offers support (medical, legal, etc.); 4) positives/negatives of overturn; 5) legal implications; 6) tone (hopeful, angry, etc.); 7) gender inclusion. Two trained coders reviewed initial data; a third coder would adjudicate disagreements. Creator gender was self-reported or ascertained by the coders. Descriptive analysis was conducted in R.

Results: A total of 309 videos (676,381,309 views) were analyzed. Females created 72.8% (n=225), 15.2% (n=47) by males, 0.1% (n=23) by a combination, and 0.02% (n=6) by gender minorities. Of creators, 90.6% (n=280) were laypeople and 9.4% (n=29) were medical professionals. Table 1 outlines birth control and sexual health discussions, legal implications, and video tone. Overall, 23.3% (n=72) of users offered support (Figure 1). Pro-choice discussion accounted for 92.6% of videos (n=286), where 59.8% of these videos (n=171) discussed negative implications of the overturn (“forced to die”; “increased suicides”; “unsafe abortions.”) Gender inclusivity was mentioned in 8.1% of (n=25) videos, where 28.0% (n=7) discussed this negatively.

Conclusion: The vast majority of TikTok videos are made by laypeople without medical education, potentially spreading inaccurate information to millions of pediatric viewers. The large percentage of videos created by females indicates that many may view reproductive rights as a “woman” issue, rather than a decision that impacts all genders. The overwhelming sentiment shows disapproval of the Dobbs decision. Despite this, many users offer support to those impacted, suggesting TikTok may provide a valuable community for those wanting support. With over half a billion views, the Dobbs decision continues to be highly controversial. Our results indicate a need for medical professionals to disseminate accurate, unbiased information in a digestible way to educate pediatric patients on how they are affected by Dobbs v. Jackson. Medical organizations should provide instructions on how to make effective medical content to present an alternative to layperson perspectives.