understanding adhd content on tiktok
Social media is a powerful tool for connection, support, and learning. However, it has also unintentionally contributed to the rapid spread of misinformation and increased self-diagnosis. TikTok is a social media platform centered on short-form videos. In the United States, TikTok has an estimated 1.582 billion monthly active users (Newberry, 2025). According to the Pew Research Center (2024), about four in ten Americans use TikTok, and more than half of adult TikTok users reported regularly getting news from the platform. Individuals may turn to TikTok for entertainment and information, as well as for connection, validation, and a sense of community.
As social media use increases, so has the use of these platforms for self-diagnosis. Individuals may self-diagnose because of barriers to treatment, a desire for understanding or empowerment, support, or business opportunities. Although TikTok can help people recognize symptoms and feel less alone, relying on it for self-diagnosis can have unintended consequences. These include blurred distinctions between personality traits and clinically significant symptoms, misdiagnosis or overdiagnosis, and the minimization of the experiences of people living with mental health conditions.
One growing area of interest has been attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Searches for ADHD on TikTok return a mix of videos focused on personal experiences, psychoeducational material, testing material, and promotions for products or services. Jain et al. (2025) found videos sharing personal mental health experiences received more engagement than videos by healthcare professionals. This can affect the quality of information viewers encounter, especially when videos discuss mental health conditions. Recent research has also raised concerns; previous research has concluded that fewer than 50% of videos contain accurate information (Verma & Sinha, 2025; Yeung et al., 2022). One study evaluated the top 100 videos on ADHD and found that most were not consistent with established diagnostic criteria (Karasavva et al., 2025).
Addressing this problem requires more than correcting misinformation. It is also important to understand what users see, why content feels relatable, and how TikTok’s algorithm influences what an individual is exposed to. Relatable personal stories are powerful because viewers can recognize aspects of their own experience and relate to them, even when those experiences do not meet diagnostic criteria. Effective interventions should therefore combine accurate psychoeducation with empathic understanding and communication.
ReferencesAmerican Psychological Association. (2024). What interventions can be used to counter misinformation effectively?. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/journalism-facts/misinformation-interventions Jain, L., Velez, L., Karlapati, S., Forand, M., Kannali, R., Yousaf, R. A., Ahmed, R., Sarfraz, Z., Sutter, P. A., Tallo, C. A., & Ahmed, S. (2025). Exploring problematic TikTok use and mental health issues: A systematic review of empirical studies. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 16. https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319251327303 Newberry, C. (2025, February 6). 35 tiktok stats every marketer needs to know in 2025. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok-stats/#General_TikTok_stats Karasavva, V., Miller, C., Groves, N., Montiel, A., Canu, W., & Mikami, A. (2025). A double-edged hashtag: Evaluation of #ADHD-related TikTok content and its associations with perceptions of ADHD. PloS One, 20(3), e0319335-. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0319335 Pew Research Center. (2026, March 2). 8 facts about Americans and TikTok. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/03/02/8-facts-about-americans-and-tiktok/
Verma, S., & Sinha, S. K. (2025). How evidence-based is the “hashtag ADHD test” (#adhdtest). A cross-sectional content analysis of TikTok videos on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) screening. Australasian Psychiatry : Bulletin of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, 33(1), 82 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/10398562241291956
Yeung, A., Ng, E., & Abi-Jaoude, E. (2022). TikTok and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study of Social Media Content Quality. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 67(12), Article 07067437221082854. https://doi.org/10.1177/07067437221082854 - Hailey Wygonski, Psy.D.
ReferencesAmerican Psychological Association. (2024). What interventions can be used to counter misinformation effectively?. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/journalism-facts/misinformation-interventions Jain, L., Velez, L., Karlapati, S., Forand, M., Kannali, R., Yousaf, R. A., Ahmed, R., Sarfraz, Z., Sutter, P. A., Tallo, C. A., & Ahmed, S. (2025). Exploring problematic TikTok use and mental health issues: A systematic review of empirical studies. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 16. https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319251327303 Newberry, C. (2025, February 6). 35 tiktok stats every marketer needs to know in 2025. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok-stats/#General_TikTok_stats Karasavva, V., Miller, C., Groves, N., Montiel, A., Canu, W., & Mikami, A. (2025). A double-edged hashtag: Evaluation of #ADHD-related TikTok content and its associations with perceptions of ADHD. PloS One, 20(3), e0319335-. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0319335 Pew Research Center. (2026, March 2). 8 facts about Americans and TikTok. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/03/02/8-facts-about-americans-and-tiktok/
Verma, S., & Sinha, S. K. (2025). How evidence-based is the “hashtag ADHD test” (#adhdtest). A cross-sectional content analysis of TikTok videos on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) screening. Australasian Psychiatry : Bulletin of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, 33(1), 82 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/10398562241291956
Yeung, A., Ng, E., & Abi-Jaoude, E. (2022). TikTok and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study of Social Media Content Quality. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 67(12), Article 07067437221082854. https://doi.org/10.1177/07067437221082854 - Hailey Wygonski, Psy.D.