Medical misinformation via TikTok, Facebook costs US healthcare up to $300M daily, survey finds

Medical misinformation on social media platforms has evolved into a significant economic burden for American healthcare, with AI technology accelerating the spread of false health claims. A 2025 survey of over 1,000 U.S. physicians found that 61% reported patients being influenced by misinformation at least moderately in the past year, with 57% saying it significantly undermines their ability to deliver quality care.

The big picture: False health information spreads 70% faster than accurate content on social platforms, according to MIT research, because people naturally share novel and emotional content over factual information.

• The World Health Organization has termed this phenomenon an “infodemic” — an excessive amount of information that makes it difficult for people to find trustworthy guidance when needed most.
• Johns Hopkins estimated that COVID-19 misinformation alone inflicted $50-$300 million per day in monetary harms through avoidable healthcare use and productivity losses.

Where the damage shows up: Medical misinformation is driving real-world health crises and increased healthcare costs across multiple areas.

• The U.S. declared measles eliminated in 2000, yet as of August 26, 2025, the CDC reports 1,408 confirmed cases across 43 jurisdictions — one of the highest tallies in 25 years.
• Cancer misinformation with clickbait claims like “alkaline diets cure tumors” often generates more engagement than accurate content across Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
• The FTC recently banned a network behind deceptive stem-cell claims and ordered more than $5 million in penalties and refunds.

Mental health complications: Social platforms have helped reduce stigma but also created new problems through misused clinical terminology and DIY diagnoses.

• Dr. Kathy Richardson from Lebanon Valley College notes that terms like “gaslighting,” “boundaries,” “toxic” and “trauma” are used so loosely they lose clinical meaning.
• Clinicians report patients increasingly arriving with self-diagnoses and treatment plans sourced from social media, creating friction in care and delaying proper evaluation.
• On TikTok, about half of popular ADHD videos are misleading, while heavy exposure can warp symptom perceptions among young adults.

AI amplifies the problem: Large language models can be manipulated into producing plausible but incorrect medical guidance, mass-producing health advice at unprecedented scale.

• The WHO warns that large multimodal models used in healthcare need strict guardrails including rigorous pre-deployment evaluation, transparency about data limitations, and continuous monitoring.
• Generative AI now enables the mass production of plausible health advice, some of it wrong, supercharging misinformation spread.

What actually works: Research shows specific interventions can reduce misinformation spread more effectively than traditional fact-checking approaches.

• Prebunking (inoculation) — teaching people manipulation techniques upfront — improves discernment at scale, tested via YouTube ad buys and multi-country randomized trials.
• High-friction sharing features like pauses and link-read prompts, combined with ad transparency requirements, reduce junk content reach.
• Clinician scripts that acknowledge concerns, correct with plain language, and offer action alternatives beat combative approaches.

Practical solutions: Specific steps for families, employers, and institutions can help combat health misinformation.

• Create a “pause protocol” before sharing health advice: identify the source, check for financial stakes, and verify studies exist.
• Implement two-step verification for medical information — first search reputable sources like CDC or NIH, then consult healthcare providers.
• Platforms should adopt standardized ad repositories, rapid-response labels for outbreaks, and auditable APIs for researchers.

Bottom line: Medical professionals emphasize that misinformation represents a fundamental business model problem rather than just user education.

• “Medical misinformation is not a side effect of the internet; it’s a bona fide business model,” according to Forbes analysis.
• The solution requires fixing incentives, standardizing transparency, prebunking at scale, and giving clinicians proper tools rather than treating it as solely a user education problem.