TikTok, #IUD, and User Experience With Intrauterine Devices Reported on Social Media
Jenny Wu, Esme D. Trahair, Megan N. Happ, Jonas J. Swartz
Abstract
TikTok, a video-sharing application, offers a growing platform for contraception-related content. The top 100 videos tagged "#IUD" were compiled using a web-scraping application. User demographics and video content were analyzed by two independent reviewers, with a third to arbitrate differences. More videos had a negative tone (37.8%) about intrauterine devices (IUDs) than positive (19.4%), and 27.6% mentioned distrust of health care professionals. Of videos conveying patient experiences, all had a negative or ambiguous tone and 96.8% highlighted pain and other side effects related to IUDs. Videos scored low on information health quality (1.2/5 on DISCERN) and averaged 73.8% in understandability and 17.7% in actionability on PEMAT (Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool). #IUD videos on TikTok often portray negative experiences related to pain and informed consent.