From TikTok Trends to Wellness Influencers

Addressing Health Misinformation with Teens

Health misinformation is everywhere on social media, and teens are especially vulnerable to it. From misleading wellness trends to unverified mental health advice, adolescents are constantly navigating a flood of content that can shape how they understand their bodies, their health, and their wellbeing, often without the tools to separate fact from fiction.

This workshop equips youth-serving professionals with a practical understanding of health misinformation and how to address it with the young people in their lives. Participants will explore why adolescents are drawn to digital health information, examine the platforms and trends currently popular with teens, and walk away with concrete strategies for promoting media literacy and critical thinking.

Learning Objectives

As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Define health misinformation and describe how it impacts adolescent health behaviors 

• Identify current social media platforms and trends popular with teens and explain why adolescents seek health information through these channels 

• Apply at least three strategies for addressing health misinformation and promoting media literacy with adolescents