TikTok has become a go-to source for health advice for millions of people. But when you search for treatments for cancer and autism, the vast majority of the videos first served to you feature claims about treatments that are not supported by science
Trade unions and online safety experts have urged MPs to investigate TikTok’s plans to make hundreds of jobs for UK-based content moderators redundant.
The video app company is planning 439 redundancies in its trust and safety team in London, leading to warnings that the jobs losses will have implications for online safety.
"I had one patient whose relative started filming while I was trying to set up," said Ashley d'Aquino, a therapeutic radiographer from London.
"It wasn't the right time - I was trying to focus on delivering the treatment."
"We had a member of staff who agreed to take photos for a patient," she said.
"When the patient handed over her phone, the member of staff saw that the patient had also been covertly recording her, to publish on her cancer blog."
People are increasingly turning to social media for mental health support, yet research has revealed that many influencers are peddling misinformation, including misused therapeutic language, “quick fix” solutions and false claims.
When Andrew Kaung, an analyst on user safety at TikTok, looked at the TikTok content, he was alarmed to find how some teenage boys were being shown posts featuring violence and pornography, and promoting misogynistic views, he tells BBC Panorama. He says, in general, teenage girls were recommended very different content based on their interests.
A TikTok dance resource for adults and young people designed to raise awareness about online grooming.
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