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Dr Michelle Wong - Lab Muffin Beauty Science
@labmuffin.com

I've probably been the top sunscreen mythbuster online for the last decade, so I have thoughts! It's super cool that sunscreen misinfo is being formally studied! Big props to the authors for recognising this problem. But there's misinfo in the paper, and IMO the main claims aren't well-supported…

Timothy Caulfield@caulfieldtim.bsky.social

📣 Our NEW study 👇 Sunscreen is overwhelmingly promoted on TikTok, but content with #misinformation exhibits proportionally high levels of audience interaction dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour... by @marcozenone.bsky.social @cherylepeters.bsky.social et al. 🙏 #Cancer #Sunscreen

dx.plos.orgSunscreen is overwhelmingly promoted on TikTok, but content with misinformation exhibits proportionally high levels of audience interactionAuthor summary This study examined sunscreen-related misinformation on TikTok. We examined 971 of the most viewed TikToks using the five most popular sunscreen-related hashtags (#sunscreen, #sunscreen...

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Dr Michelle Wong - Lab Muffin Beauty Science
@labmuffin.com

CLAIM 1 "Overall, the dominant narrative on TikTok promotes sunscreen use" "Our findings indicate that [sunscreen misinformation] constitutes a small portion of the most viewed videos" They estimate only 1.5% of highly viewed sunscreen TikToks state it causes harm.

Dr Michelle Wong - Lab Muffin Beauty Science
@labmuffin.com

I don't think 1.5% passes a sniff test for what's seen on TikTok. Quick example: CBC News showed this TikTok screenshot when they covered this study… 3 out of the 4 top videos that came up when searching "sunscreen" suggest chemical sunscreens are toxic - pretty far from 1.5%.

Timothy Caulfield@caulfieldtim.bsky.social

📣 My quick take on our new study on #sunscreen misinformation. Sum: the bunk gets lots of engagement! How reliable is social media for sunscreen information? www.cbc.ca/player/play/... cc @cancersociety.bsky.social @srmarcon.bsky.social @marcozenone.bsky.social @ualberta.bsky.social

cbc.caHow reliable is social media for sunscreen information?Lots of people get their information from TikTok, but that information can be wrong. And when it comes to something like sunscreen use, that can have consequences. University of Alberta professor Tim ...
Dr Michelle Wong - Lab Muffin Beauty Science
@labmuffin.com

ISSUE 2 This is more subtle - I'd guess only TikTok creators who do sponsorships are really aware of it: The view count used in the study included boosted views. "Boosting" is when a brand pays $$$ for a video to get more views from a target audience (location, age, gender, interests etc).