Generation Z is now showing a significant shift in behavior when seeking health information. Instead of consulting medical professionals, this 18-34 age group tends to turn to social media, particularly TikTok, as their primary reference for understanding symptoms and medical treatments.
These findings refer to the 2025 annual Edelman survey involving more than 16,000 global respondents. The data shows that 45 percent of respondents trust health advice from their circle of friends or family more, while another 38 percent openly rely more on information from social media platforms than on explanations from expert doctors.
This phenomenon is not just an ordinary online trend, but has become a serious concern in clinical settings. Dr. Charles Carlsen from DRSONO Medical revealed that doctors are now increasingly encountering young patients who bring 'self-diagnoses' derived from social media searches. Often, these patients trust the opinions of content creators without a medical background, who actually have twice as much influence on Gen Z's health decision-making compared to older age groups.
The risk of spreading false information (misinformation) on social media is proven real through various studies. Research from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine found that around 44 percent of health videos on TikTok contain non-factual information. Non-medical influencers, despite their broad reach, are the largest contributors to such misleading content compared to healthcare professionals presenting evidence-based education.
Medical experts, including a team from the UK's National Health Service (NHS), warn that this trend poses a real threat to public health. The use of viral but medically unproven alternative therapies, as well as delays in treating serious illnesses due to reliance on internet content, are tangible impacts frequently encountered in emergency departments.
Faced with this challenge, the medical community is encouraged to be more proactive in taking up digital spaces. Initiatives such as the NHS launching official educational accounts on TikTok are expected to counterbalance the dominance of misinformation by presenting accurate, credible, and easily accessible medical narratives for the younger generation.
