Autism and ADHD social media short-form video content: A systematic review protocol

Social media platforms have made information about mental health more accessible than ever, with over 60% of young adults using social media as a primary information source. Content about neurodiversity issues, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is highly popular online. Researchers and mental health professionals have expressed concerns over the lack of vetting and potential spread of misinformation on social media. To date, there has been no synthesis of the literature examining the scientific accuracy of short-form video content about ADHD and ASD, and the downstream impacts of this content.

1) Describe the popularity and characteristics of ADHD and ASD short-form video content, 2) Evaluate the extent to which it follows clinical guidelines, 3) Explore its impacts on stigma, treatment- and diagnosis-seeking, and symptom perceptions.

This protocol is designed in accordance with the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. PsycINFO, PubMed, and SCOPUS will be used for the literature search. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods peer-reviewed research published in English by June 1, 2026, will be considered. Once duplicate studies are removed, pairs of independent reviewers will determine eligibility first through the review of titles and abstracts and then full text review. Descriptive and thematic analysis methods will be used to analyze extracted data.

Findings from this work can provide a better understanding of the social media content about ADHD and ASD and the ways it may impact viewers.

A protocol of this systematic literature review will be registered with Open Science Framework Registries.