Doc on TikTok? Doctor Says 'Be Mindful'

When I was younger, I was led to believe that nursing a fever only required orange soda, crackers, and yes, the ever-reliable VapoRub to feel better. Now, with various medical advice readily available online, it’s clear that we’ve truly come a long way. US Research shows that adults turn to the internet as their first source of health information. In the Philippines, the same may be observed by just checking on one's friends and their habits.

Now, a fever could mean a lot of things–from the simplest to the scariest of reasons—and can be dealt with in different ways, says TikTok and Instagram.

The internet has remarkably changed how we access healthcare information and manage our health. Studies tell us that in recent years, the online influencer industry has grown exponentially, and has also reached the medical field, with many healthcare practitioners turning to social media for content creation and influencer marketing. The motivations can be anything from enhancing public health literacy and combating misinformation to advocating for medical causes or simply sharing a more humanistic view of the medical profession. I, myself, follow several doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and child psychologists.

With the rise of medical practitioners on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms and AI chatbot technology, getting medical advice has never been easier–or faster. For a first-time mom who is panicking late at night and wondering how to pacify a baby who won’t stop crying or an anxious parent wanting to know how to improve their child’s quality of life, social media content has since become an instant sigh of relief.

But as content creation meets medicine, the lines between expert opinion, general education, and misinformation tend to blur. Add artificial intelligence (AI) into the mix, and the risks and benefits of “online healthcare” become even more complex (and scary, at that).

Not only that, everybody seems to be an expert nowadays–if you visit the comments section of a trending medical post or advice, you’ll read countless takes of everyone on everything, scientifically founded or not. And if one is not cautious, it can be a trap.

So, how do we draw the line?

Content can also be motivated by  “virality” and monetary returns, which can strip away crucial context.

Medical professionals have been turning once-private consultations into bite-sized, shareable insights. Last year’s winner of Best Informative and Educational Vlogger by the Philippine Vlogger Awards is a board-certified doctor.

But why does medical content become viral?

But not every “doctor” online is licensed, and not every piece of advice is relevant—or safe, for that matter—for one’s specific condition. Content can also be motivated by  “virality” and monetary returns, which can strip away crucial context.

Remove 90% of the human element and incorporate AI into the process: one can use artificial intelligence tools to concoct and repurpose various types of content. These AI tools—from chatbots to automated video scripts and to ‘humanized’ reels—can generate medical content in seconds.

Newsguard, a data analysis and rating system online, warns in an article dated May 5, 2025, that there are “1,271 AI-generated news and information sites operating with little to no human oversight, and are tracking false narratives produced by artificial intelligence tools,” spanning 16 languages, including “Tagalog” (Filipino).

While AI can help in offering general educational information or answering common health inquiries, it can also spread inaccurate advice that, if not carefully vetted, can be harmful to our families and ourselves. Studies "have found that people find it challenging to distinguish between AI- and human-created content.” Not surprising at all.

AI models don’t “know” in the human sense—they generate answers based on patterns in data, which means they may present outdated, biased, or incorrect information with great confidence. Without human oversight, this could lead to misdiagnosis, inappropriate self-treatment, or delay in seeking professional care.

Online health communities—like Facebook support groups, Reddit threads, or patient forums—can provide comfort, advice, and lived experiences. People can share coping strategies, resources, and encouragement (plus lots of virtual hugs) to navigate the perplexity of parenting. And that’s fine, as long as we know how to sift the gold from dirt.

I’m sure we probably already know that crowd-sourced advice can complement—but should never replace—personalized, evidence-based guidance from a qualified healthcare provider.

So how do we address the elephant in the room?

Pediatrician and child health advocate Dr. Joey Cuayo-Estanislao—also a member of Smart Parenting’s Board of Experts and a trusted source of medical content on Instagram—shares her top tips on how to choose which doctors to follow.

“It’s great that there are now more medical content creators online, because it hopefully means that there are more trusted and easily accessible sources of information,” says Doc Joey.

“However, it’s good to be mindful of a couple of things,” she explains.

She adds, “First, that information you’ve gotten online or in other forms of media, even if it’s from a more reliable source, like medical doctors, is better treated as points for discussion with your trusted healthcare provider. Let them serve as jump-off points to help you communicate your concerns and direct your questions to your doctor, who will then be able to verify the information and help you contextualize it, with your child/family in mind.”

Doc Joey continues, “...while doctors are educated in all fields, as medical students, there may be better sources of information for certain topics. For example, for topics on child care, pediatricians may be at a better, more informed position to educate.”

She shares an important tip: fact-check!

She reminds us, “...it’s still good to check or ask about the doctor’s references. Some creators would post references they’ve used for their content, which is a helpful way to double-check. Remember: always verify information you see online with your trusted care provider. These types of content should also not replace a consultation with your pediatrician (or physician).”

"Lastly, let’s be mindful that doctors should not be endorsing or promoting healthcare products, medications, vitamins, supplements, etc. That is against our medical society’s guidelines and is unethical. Do question and be wary of medical content creators who are promoting these types of products, even and especially if they are doctors,” Doc Joey concludes.

Medical advice online can be valuable to us parents when we don’t know what to do if a symptom comes up, and for some reason, we can’t reach out to the family doctor. But to sum up Doc Joey’s expert advice, verify credentials, cross-check, remember that specialists have a more informed opinion, and lastly, look for those who favor education over item or self-promotion–and that any medical information seen should only serve as a ‘jump off point’ to chat with your doctor.

And perhaps, when a reel talks about “miracle claims,” it’s always smart to take a step back and look further.

In a world where a trending hashtag or viral video can sway our family’s health or self-care routine, the safest choice is to blend digital insights with actual consultation from licensed experts. As they say, take the wheat and leave the chaff.