Credits: Social Media
WHO TikTok content lacking useful covid-19 information, claims study
Among videos of dancing, lip-syncing and playdough ASMR, the World Health Organization (WHO) has carved out its own TikTok niche.
When the organization joined TikTok in February, officials envisaged “timely public health advice” within the mandated 60 second limit. Its channel now has 2.5 million followers and 8.7 million likes.
But according to a new study published in the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, the WHO’s TikTok content lacks information on “prevention and transmission” of covid-19.
The study – led by Dr Corey Basch – analyzed the health agency’s 17 videos, along with the 100 most popular posts using the hashtag #Coronavirus.
While WHO content “presented more facts and useful information” than the other videos, the researchers argue it doesn’t use the platform effectively.
WHO, what, and why
The WHO has so far “used more traditional communications channels to disseminate information about COVID-19,” Dr Basch explained.
The lost opportunity lies in the fact that viewership and accessibility is so high,” she continued. “There is greater potential not only for reaching an important audience, but for influencing […] behaviour in a positive direction as well.”
The WHO’s 17 videos – sampled by the researchers this April – had been viewed over 180 million times at the time of data collection.
Not a single one of those videos discussed death, death rates, travel restrictions, wearing a mask while caring for the sick, disinfecting objects or surfaces, staying indoors, or the time it takes for covid-19 symptoms to appear.
Only one post encouraged viewers to wear a mask.
The generation game
According to the researchers, the WHO’s underuse of TikTok risks a generational deficit in covid-19 awareness.
While Joe Allington and Ruth Rudd have reached TikTok fame in their late 80s, most users are several decades younger. 42% of users are aged 18-24, and a further 27% are aged 13-17.
You cant assume that adolescents are going out of their way to find trusted sources of information,” emphasised Dr Basch. It is important that public health professionals use the most appropriate communication channels possible.
The study follows comments from the WHO Director-General attributing coronavirus surges to a lack of caution amongst millennials.
Spikes of cases in some countries are being driven in part by younger people letting down their guard, said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus two weeks ago.
Could those rising cases be, in part, due to the WHO’s lack of success at engaging this demographic?
Not in the opinion of Dr Basch. She says the answer lies more in social norms and the fact that young people probably “have not been presented with challenges such as this before.”
Hygiene and hashtags
The study isn’t completely critical of the WHO’s content creation, though. Six of the 17 videos mentioned hand hygiene, and seven discussed virus transmission.
The top 100 #Coronavirus videos were vastly less informative: three mentioned hand hygiene, and only one raised the topic of transmission.�Five contained misinformation.
Dr Basch said she commend[s] the WHO for recognising the potential in TikTok for public health messaging, and believes these efforts should now be expanded upon.
Perhaps they will recruit some of the influential TikTokers to help them in their journey, she mused.
The WHO did not respond to requests for comment.
