, Columnist
Birth Control Has a TikTok Problem
False information about contraception is proliferating on social media. Doctors could help counter it by listening to women’s concerns.
Women are getting bad information about contraception through social media.
Photo: Bloomberg
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Myths about birth control are as old as the hills. But social media platforms, in particular TikTok and Instagram, are allowing false information to proliferate in new and dangerous ways.
The stakes are high. The twin forces of birth control-related misinformation, often from women sharing their personal experiences, and disinformation, typically posted by right-wing activists hiding their true agendas, is happening at a time of ever-shrinking access to abortion care in the US.