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Why Anti-Sunscreen Content Is Going Viral on TikTok
Researchers found 87% of nearly 1,000 videos promoted sunscreen use, but misinformation drew the most engagement on TikTok.
- On Thursday, a University of Alberta study published in PLOS Digital Health found that TikTok videos containing sunscreen misinformation generate significantly higher audience engagement than those promoting the product.
- While 86.8% of analyzed content promoted sunscreen, the 6% containing health-related critiques—such as claims that products cause cancer or block vitamin D—consistently received more likes, shares, and comments.
- Young people disproportionately rely on TikTok for health information, even as skin cancer rates soar; Alessandro Marcon, a research associate at the University of Alberta's Health Law Institute, warned that misinformation ranged from "sunburns aren't dangerous" to toxicity claims.
- Dr. Melanie Palm, a board-certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon at Art of Skin MD, argues experts must simplify cancer prevention messaging to compete with the "outsized viral potential" of misleading content.
- Regulators recently approved bemotrizinol, the first new sunscreen ingredient in more than 20 years, providing new options; experts say plain-language communication remains the most effective tool to counteract social media myths.
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25 Articles
Most sunscreen content on TikTok is accurate, but it’s the misinfo that goes viral
Sunscreen videos are all over TikTok — but the ones that go the most viral are the ones that are packed with misinformation, a study published Thursday in the journal Plos Digital Health found. Researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada analyzed TikTok videos with the highest views across the five most popular sunscreen-related hashtags. Although the vast majority — 87% of the nearly 1,000 videos — promoted sunscreen use, the content w…
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources25
Leaning Left6Leaning Right5Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution42% Center
Bias Distribution
- 42% of the sources are Center
42% Center
L 32%
C 42%
R 26%
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