The World Health Organization (WHO) has entered into a year-long collaboration with TikTok to promote health literacy, combat misinformation, and encourage healthy behaviors among users.
The partnership is aimed at reaching the platform’s vast audience, especially young adults, who frequently turn to social media for news and health-related information. WHO views the collaboration as a critical step in ensuring that credible health information reaches the public, helping to counteract the misinformation commonly found on these platforms.
WHO’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Jeremy Farrar, emphasized the importance of this partnership in tackling the growing issue of health misinformation, highlighting the role social media plays in shaping health decisions, particularly among younger generations.
“This collaboration can prove to be an inflection point in how platforms can be more socially responsible,” Farrar said, adding that by working with TikTok, WHO aims to promote scientific discourse and ensure users have access to credible, evidence-based health content.
TikTok’s Global Head of Trust and Safety Outreach, Valiant Richey, stressed the platform’s commitment to promoting mental health and well-being, expressing excitement about collaborating with WHO’s Fides network, a group of health content creators, to deliver engaging and authoritative mental health content to TikTok’s large community of users.
The partnership will also include support for creators to help them translate scientific information into relatable and engaging videos, provide users with accurate health information, empowering them to make informed decisions.
Through its creator training programs, TikTok plans to empower influencers to produce content that tackles major health topics, with a focus on mental well-being. WHO’s Director of Digital Health and Innovation, Dr. Alain Labrique, noted that influencers have a unique ability to connect with their audiences and bridge the gap between science and everyday life. WHO intends to provide support to these creators to ensure that health conversations on TikTok are both impactful and informed.
Health misinformation has been a significant challenge on social media, leading to harmful consequences such as vaccine rejection and ignoring crucial health guidelines. WHO’s collaboration with TikTok is part of its broader effort to combat this issue, which disproportionately affects vulnerable populations and exacerbates health inequalities.
Access to reliable health content, WHO asserts, can save lives by promoting healthier behaviors and working with TikTok, will help to strengthen trust in healthcare systems and support individuals in navigating their health choices more effectively, ultimately fostering a healthier and more informed global community.