How Adolescents Trust Health Information on Social Media: A Systematic Review

Given the potential for social media to spread health misinformation, it is important to understand how trusts impact adolescents' engagement with health content on social media.

To explore the concept of trust when adolescents (13-18 years) engage with health information on social media. Five relevant databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, ERIC, and CINAHL) were systematically searched alongside Google Scholar and reference lists of included papers. Studies were included if they examined adolescents' trust when engaging with health information on social media.

Thematic analysis was used to synthesize the findings from this review.

Thirty-four papers were included. Three key domains were explored: trust in the social media platform/service (general distrust of social media for health information; safety and privacy); trust in other users (mistrust of unknown users; fear of bullying or judgment; trust in friends or peers; celebrities and popularity; trust in others' experience and the importance of social support); trust in content (tone and appearance of health information; expertise and verification; advertising, pushed, and suggested content).

Narrow geographic representation of papers and limited quantitative studies.

Adolescents' trust in health information on social media involves a complex interplay between trust in: social media platforms, other users, and health content. Central to many of the findings is the social and identity work done by adolescents on and through social media.