NEW HAVEN — A research letter published in JAMA reports that a majority of U.S. social media users distrust health information found on social media, yet a portion still make health-related decisions based on it. The findings were derived from the 2024 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS).

The survey included 7,278 respondents, representing 262 million U.S. adults. Among these adults, 87.8% reported using social media, defined as using a social networking site in the previous 12 months. Of those social media users, 77.7% stated they believed health information encountered on social media was false or misleading.

Despite this distrust, 21.6% of social media users reported making health-related decisions based on content from social media. Rohan Khera, MD, MS, of Yale School of Medicine, noted the discrepancy. "The most striking finding was the disconnect between distrust and behavior," Khera said. "This finding suggests that people may recognize the information environment as unreliable, but exposure to social media health content may still influence their decisions."

Among adults who used social media, 84.8% reported sharing personal or general health information, and 70.2% participated in online communities. Khera stated, "The broader implication is that medical and public health communities need to be present where patients are already looking for information."

The survey found that 4,590 adults with chronic conditions responded, constituting 69.1% of all respondents. Among this group, 85.5% reported social media use. Adults with chronic conditions were less likely to share health information via social media and less likely to participate in online communities compared to those without chronic conditions.

Social media use was observed to be lower among older adults, residents of rural areas, and those with lower educational attainment. However, older social media users (ages 65 and above) were more likely to make health decisions based on social media content compared to users under 65. Hispanic social media users were also more likely to make health decisions based on social media information than white users.

Higher educational attainment and higher household income were both associated with increased distrust in social media health information. Conversely, Black and Hispanic individuals were less likely than white individuals to report distrust in social media health information.

Why It Matters

This report identifies a pattern where a portion of the U.S. population engages with health information on social media despite widespread distrust in its accuracy. The finding that individuals continue to make health decisions based on this information suggests that public health and medical communities could increase their presence on these platforms. Differences in social media use and trust were observed across demographic groups, including age, chronic condition status, geographic location, educational attainment, household income, and ethnicity.