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Cited by 133Social Media in Health EducationHealth Literacy and Information AccessibilityImpact of Technology on Adolescents

How Adolescents Trust Health Information on Social Media: A Systematic Review

Open access
Freeman, Jaimie L., Caldwell, Patrina H.Y., Scott, Karen M.·2023·Academic Pediatrics
DOI 10.1016/j.acap.2022.12.011
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Given the potential for social media to spread health misinformation, it is important to understand how trusts impact adolescents' engagement with health content on social media. OBJECTIVE: To explore the concept of trust when adolescents (13-18 years) engage with health information on social media. Five relevant databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, ERIC, and CINAHL) were systematically searched alongside Google Scholar and reference lists of included papers. Studies were included if they examined adolescents' trust when engaging with health information on social media. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: Thematic analysis was used to synthesize the findings from this review. RESULTS: Thirty-four papers were included. Three key domains were explored: trust in the social media platform/service (general distrust of social media for health information; safety and privacy); trust in other users (mistrust of unknown users; fear of bullying or judgment; trust in friends or peers; celebrities and popularity; trust in others' experience and the importance of social support); trust in content (tone and appearance of health information; expertise and verification; advertising, pushed, and suggested content). LIMITATIONS: Narrow geographic representation of papers and limited quantitative studies. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS: Adolescents' trust in health information on social media involves a complex interplay between trust in: social media platforms, other users, and health content. Central to many of the findings is the social and identity work done by adolescents on and through social media.

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  • Research has identified associations between certain forms of social media engagement and experiences such as social comparison, exposure to distressing content, misinformation, cyberbullying, sleep disruption and difficulties disengaging from online environments.

    “Research has identifed associations between certain forms of social media engagement and experiences such as social comparison, exposure to distressing content, misinformation, cyberbullying, sleep disruption and difculties disengaging from online environments [23-25].”

    From The Complex and Multifaceted Nature of Social Media: Perspectives From Young Adolescents, Parents and Experts (2026) · cites this paper as [24]

  • Social media was identified as a complex and multifaceted tool, offering opportunities for connection, education, and identity exploration, while also highlighting concerns relating to misinformation, social comparison, online victimisation and highly immersive or difficult-to-disengage-from forms of engagement.

    “Consistent with previous research (e.g., [4]), social media was identifed as a complex and multifaceted tool, ofering opportunities for connection, education, and identity exploration [19, 55, 56], while also highlighting concerns relating to misinformation, social comparison, online victimisation and highly immersive or difcult-to-disengage-from forms of engagement [24, 25, 28, 57].”

    From The Complex and Multifaceted Nature of Social Media: Perspectives From Young Adolescents, Parents and Experts (2026) · cites this paper as [24]

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Authors
Freeman, J. L., Caldwell, P. H. Y., & Scott, K. M.
Affiliations
  • University of Oxford (GB)
  • The University of Sydney (AU)
ORCID
Venue
Academic Pediatrics
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2023-05
Volume
23
Issue
4
Pages
703-719
ISSN
1876-2859 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.acap.2022.12.011
OpenAlex
W4312222281
Cited by
133
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 49 · 2025: 44 · 2024: 34 · 2023: 6
FWCI
2.91
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Academic Pediatrics (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Social Media in Health Education
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
Keywords
health information, social media, health misinformation, peer influence, celebrity, social support, privacy and safety, identity work, health communication
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Advertising, Communication, Humans, Social Support, Friends, Social Media

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