When TikTok Speaks Louder Than Science: Misinformation About ADHD And Its Risks

TikTok has a lot of videos about ADHD, but many of them contain misinformation. A study of college students showed that watching these videos can make people believe they know more than they actually do and still want to seek treatment, even for methods that are not scientifically proven. This shows how popular content, even if inaccurate, can influence mental health decisions.

In recent years, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has gained enormous visibility on social media, especially on TikTok. TikTok is a highly trafficked social media platform with 1.7 billion monthly users, the majority of whom are college-aged (18-24 years old).

There are over 28 billion views on #ADHD videos on TikTok, and social media is among the most frequently used sources for information about ADHD. This explosion of content coincides with the rise of social media use by young adults who are increasingly seeking information about mental health online.

However, this popularity has also brought with it a troubling problem: a large portion of the content about ADHD on TikTok contains misinformation, or information that is incorrect but not intentionally false. This raises questions about how this content affects people’s actual knowledge, preconceptions about the disorder, and their decisions about seeking treatment.

Previous studies have shown that most popular videos about ADHD on TikTok are not scientifically accurate. This is concerning, as access to incorrect information can make it harder to recognize real symptoms and lead to ineffective treatments.

The most widely accepted theory of how people decide to seek treatment, the Information-Motivation-Behavior (IMB) Model, states that accurate information, motivation (such as a desire to improve one’s health and low prejudice against the disorder), and practical skills (such as knowing where and how to seek help) are essential for a person to seek appropriate care.

Thus, misinformation can hinder this process by reducing accurate knowledge and increasing stigma.

Interestingly, despite the IMB model’s prediction that misinformation would lead to lower treatment seeking, the opposite is happening: in recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of people seeking diagnosis and treatment for ADHD worldwide. This has led to medication shortages and longer waiting lists for care.

One possible explanation for this contradiction is that, although TikTok content is not always accurate, it is seen as highly credible or trustworthy, often because it is entertaining, engaging, and features relatable people. This can reinforce the feeling that people “recognize” themselves in the videos, even when they are not scientifically accurate.

With these questions in mind, a study was conducted to experimentally evaluate the effects of ADHD misinformation on TikTok. They recruited 490 college students, all with no history of ADHD treatment, and were divided into three groups: one that watched videos with accurate information about ADHD, one with misinformation, and a control group.

Before and after watching the videos, participants completed questionnaires about their knowledge about ADHD, biases, and intention to seek treatment.

The results showed that participants exposed to misinformation knew less about ADHD, but paradoxically, they felt more confident in their knowledge. In addition, this group showed a greater intention to seek treatment, both evidence-based (such as medication and psychotherapy) and unproven methods.

The group that saw accurate content had more true knowledge and also increased confidence in what they knew. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the level of stigma between the groups, that is, the videos did not appear to change prejudice towards ADHD.

This graph shows how the type of content watched (accurate information, misinformation, or no content, control) affects how much people know about ADHD and how confident they are in that knowledge. On the left, we see that those who watched videos with misinformation saw a decrease in the accuracy of their knowledge about ADHD, while those who watched accurate information saw a small increase, and the control group saw a slight decrease. On the right, we see that both those who watched misinformation and accurate information increased their confidence in what they know about ADHD, even when the content was false. This shows that videos on TikTok, even when they are incorrect, can make people believe they know more than they actually do.

A key finding was that the more the videos were perceived as entertainment, the greater the intention to seek treatment, showing how emotional factors can be more influential than the veracity of the information.

In short, the study shows that TikTok can be a double-edged sword: on the one hand, it helps spark interest in ADHD and motivates people to seek help; on the other, it can spread misinformation, which increases reliance on false ideas and can lead to the use of inappropriate treatments.

These findings highlight the importance of creating strategies to promote reliable and accessible content about mental health on social media, helping young people make more informed and confident decisions about their health.

READ MORE:

Misinformation mayhem: the effects of TikTok content on ADHD knowledge, stigma, and treatment-seeking intentions

Ashley Schiros, Nick Bowman, and Kevin Antshel 

Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry (2025). 

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-025-02769-8

Abstract: 

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) content on TikTok is popular among college students, yet ADHD misinformation is prevalent on TikTok. This study aims to experimentally investigate the effects of TikTok ADHD misinformation content on ADHD knowledge, stigma, and treatment-seeking intentions. An experimental design assessed the impact of ADHD (mis)information among treatment-naïve college students. A pilot phase was completed to develop TikTok stimuli, using a systematic content analysis, and provide initial evidence of feasibility. In the main study, participants (N = 490) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (accurate ADHD information, ADHD misinformation, control) to view TikTok content. A baseline measure of ADHD knowledge was completed pre-content-viewing. Following content-viewing, participants completed measures assessing ADHD-related knowledge, stigma, and treatment-seeking intentions. Participants exposed to ADHD misinformation exhibited significantly less accurate ADHD knowledge, but higher confidence in their ADHD knowledge post-content-viewing. Participants exposed to accurate ADHD content exhibited significantly more ADHD knowledge and confidence in their knowledge post-content-viewing. The ADHD misinformation group reported higher intentions to seek both evidence-based and non-evidence-based ADHD treatment. No significant effects of content condition on ADHD stigma were found. Perceived entertainment of TikTok content was significantly associated with ADHD knowledge and treatment-seeking intentions. TikTok ADHD misinformation decreases ADHD knowledge yet increases confidence in that knowledge as well as ADHD treatment-seeking intentions. These findings provide an essential first step in understanding the potential harms of TikTok misinformation on the individual and public levels.