Medication-Related Information on Social Media: Exploring Public Trust, Perceptions of Credibility, and Influence on...

Social media has evolved into a major source of health and medical information. This study investigated exposure to medication-related content on social media among adults in Jordan and examined factors influencing trust, confidence in distinguishing accurate from inaccurate information, and health-related decision-making.

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in February 2026 among adults aged ≥ 18 years using convenience and snowball sampling. The questionnaire assessed demographics, social media use, exposure to medication-related content, trust, verification behaviors, and digital health literacy (eHEALS). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression, with significance set at p < 0.05.

A total of 501 participants were included (median age 26, 309 females, 61.7%). Instagram (n = 416, 83%), Facebook (n = 383, 76.4%) and YouTube (n = 376, 75%) were the most common social platforms used. Respondents had frequent encounters with medication information (n = 199, 39.7% more than once a day). Content consisted mostly of herbal remedies (n = 404, 80.6%), advice from healthcare professionals (n = 330, 65.9%) and influencers (n = 329, 65.7%). Trust levels were neutral (n = 244, 48.7%) to low (n = 200, 39.9%). Trust was affected by the nature of the content source (n = 426, 85%), nature of the information source (n = 426, 85%) and social media platform used (n = 309, 61.7%). Most participants (n = 309, 61.7%) had encountered false information including false health claims/benefits (n = 263, 52.5%) and misleading ads/promotion (n = 243, 48.5%). Verification behavior was low to moderate (n = 209, 41.7%), with more respondents (n = 194, 38.7%) taking action on content seen. Higher education predicted high trust (AOR = 3.05, p = 0.009) and low confidence to differentiate reliable information from misinformation predicted high trust (AOR = 3.64, p = 0.001). Higher digital health literacy predicted more confidence to differentiate reliable from unreliable information (AOR = 1.082, p < 0.001) and low risk to act upon social media advice (AOR = 0.956, p = 0.007).

Social media is widely used for medication information, yet trust and digital health literacy remain limited. Exposure to misinformation is common and affects decision-making. Enhancing digital health literacy, encouraging verification, and promoting credible health communication are critical.