Stories like Amelia’s and Marika’s don’t prove that the pill is bad for everyone. But they help explain why misinformation on social media lands so effectively as influencers amplify individual experiences, cherry-pick scientific data and research and provide generalised advice that aligns with their worldview – and, often, their commercial interests.
Compounding the problem is what researchers from Sheffield University call the “nocebo effect”, where a heightened expectation that the pill will have side effects ends up being “self-fulfilling.”
Grace Green, a Manchester-based education specialist for sexual health charity Brook, said she regularly hears myths in classrooms that can be traced back to TikTok – sometimes lifted almost word-for-word from US influencers.
Explaining why the teenagers she meets are so susceptible, Green said: “Sometimes young people who’ve had a negative experience with the pill get lost in the middle. If their concerns aren’t properly explored by the adults in their lives, these myths will resonate more strongly with their anxieties.”
“Young people aren’t stupid,” Green added. “They’re using social media to try to make sense of their bodies because they don’t feel they’re getting enough from doctors or schools.” Ignoring their concerns, she warned, will just drive them deeper into an algorithm that rewards alarmist content.
Recognising the risks, some educators and nonprofit organisations are trying to address the need for reliable, trustworthy, accessible information . Brook runs school workshops to address myths directly, while The Lowdown offers tools and user reviews of contraceptive methods so visitors to the platform can make informed decisions. Brook has also launched social campaigns that mirror the engaging formats influencers use, responding to common claims with myth-busting FAQs and videos.
There are policy efforts too. The Online Safety Act, which came into effect earlier this year, recognises that “the most harmful illegal online content disproportionately affects women and girls.” However, a year ago, campaigners noted that health misinformation was not specifically named in the Act.
Since coming into force, members of parliament have warned that the OSA is “unable to tackle the spread of misinformation and cannot keep users safe online.” This is in large part because of the lack of transparency about how recommendation algorithms work, and also because the law takes no action against what’s been described as “awful but lawful” content.
The UK government has said it is trying to balance “addressing the greatest risks of harm to users, whilst protecting freedom of expression,” but in the shadows lurks the possibility that the Online Safety Act might still be torpedoed by external forces: a Trump administration opposed to the regulation of US tech companies.
Published in partnership with The Fuller Project, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to the coverage of women’s issues around the world. Sign up for The Fuller Project’s newsletter for more groundbreaking stories about women and gender diverse people.
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