Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) and TikTok, a platform for short-form mobile videos, announced a year-long collaboration aimed at providing people with reliable, science-based health information. This reflects WHO’s commitment to leveraging multiple digital communication platforms to increase outreach to people globally, to promote health literacy, healthy behaviours and actions in an increasingly digitized world.
Social media platforms can be important sources of information that influence health-related behaviours and decisions. One in four young adults actively seek news content on social media platforms, including TikTok. We also know that people are increasingly being targeted with misinformation and malinformation on these digital channels. The new collaboration between WHO and TikTok is to help addressing these challenges by promoting evidence-based content and encourage positive health dialogues.
“This collaboration can prove to be an inflection point in how platforms can be more socially-responsible. The intersection of health and technology presents an opportunity to reach people of all ages, where they are, when they want to access,” said Dr Jeremy Farrar, WHO Chief Scientist. “By working with TikTok and others, we are helping people access credible information and engage in scientific discourse that collectively helps shape a healthier future for all.”
MORE:
