1 in 4 physicians support a TikTok ban, citing health misinformation

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A growing number of physicians are calling for tighter restrictions on TikTok, with 23% supporting an outright ban due to the app’s role in spreading health misinformation, according to a recent survey from Sermo.

The report, released March 28, 2025, includes responses from more than 1,100 physicians worldwide and reflects mounting frustration over the platform’s influence on patient perceptions and clinical decision-making. Nearly half of respondents (43%) identified TikTok as a significant source of misinformation about medical treatments — more than any other concern cited.

Other top risks associated with physician engagement on the app included the erosion of professional credibility (24%) and the oversimplification of medical content (24%).

“TikTok should disappear from the planet,” wrote one neurologist in Sermo’s online community.

The survey findings arrive amid renewed national debate over potential bans or restrictions on TikTok. While previous proposals were driven by data security and foreign influence concerns, many doctors say the public health consequences of medical misinformation deserve equal attention.

A 2024 University of Chicago study found that nearly half of health-related videos on TikTok contained non-factual information, with a large proportion created by nonmedical social media influencers.

Still, physician opinions on the platform remain divided. While 23% supported a ban, 29% believed it would have no impact on health care, and another 10% opposed it entirely.

“Banning TikTok is just a Band-Aid and won’t solve the problem,” wrote another neurologist on Sermo. “There needs to be active campaigns against misinformation rather than passive measures like banning a single platform.”

Physicians also reported varying levels of personal engagement with the platform. When asked about their use of TikTok for health-related information:

• 21% said they use it daily
• 12% weekly
• 4% monthly
• 16% rarely
• 47% never use it

Despite its popularity among some “medfluencers,” only 5% of physicians said TikTok was their preferred social media platform. More engaged alternatives included Facebook (23%), LinkedIn (16%), and Sermo itself (26%).

While some doctors have leveraged TikTok for patient education, professional networking, and myth-busting, others worry that the app’s viral algorithms prioritize sensationalism over substance. As a Sermo member in rheumatology warned, “Information available on social media usually is limited and oversimplifies medical decision-making and diagnosis.”

Physicians also voiced concern about patients’ ability to distinguish credible sources from anecdotal posts. “It can be very difficult to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources of information on social media,” wrote a physician in occupational medicine.

To address these challenges, many Sermo respondents advocated for strengthening the presence of credible medical voices on social media and developing digital health education programs to help patients critically evaluate online information. Others called for more professional guidance around ethical social media use in clinical practice.

The Sermo survey reflects an ongoing tension in modern health care: how to harness the reach of social media without undermining professional integrity or the patient-physician relationship. For now, the path forward remains contested — but the conversation is far from over.