As I previously quoted in a blog post (Pabillar, 2021, para 1),
"Knowledge is powerful, but only if accurate."
Anecdotally, this has been demonstrated time and time again in the Sexual Health program I lead, where the nurses have reported someone visiting for pregnancy options counselling after deciding to discontinue or not use a reliable method of contraceptive influenced by a video, post or online testimony that they saw or read on social media (Facebook, Snapchat, Tiktoc etc.). To describe the "excessive fear of hormones based on irrational causes such as over-estimation of health risks associated with their use," Foran (2019) coined the term "hormonophobia" (as cited in La Guen et al., 2021). From a healthcare perspective, the risk associated with using the various hormone-based methods reported by the media is not significant enough to reverse the benefit/risk balance, which remains positive due to the high effectiveness of hormonal contraception in preventing pregnancies (Foran, 2019). Hormonophobia, combined with misinformation and disinformation, often leads to an individual deciding to continue with a pregnancy or terminate an unintended pregnancy with an abortion.
A recent news article from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) shared doctors' concerns that misinformation about contraception on social media may contribute to Scotland's high
abortion figures with an increase in the number of 16-19-year-olds seeking services (McEvinney, 2023). There are concerns that this is partly driven by false and misleading information focusing on the side effects of hormonal contraception on apps such as TikTok, whose false claims have been viewed more than 600,000 times (McEvinney, 2023). Simultaneously, Public Health Scotland (2023) statistics show that the termination rate in Scotland between 2021 and 2022 rose by almost a fifth (19%).
With social media usage present across all age groups, regular use by 9 out of 10 Canadians aged 15-34 (Schimmele et al., 2021), I was not surprised by the concerns I had once I started watching Tiktoc videos and how quickly I was inundated by the hub of misinformation regarding the quality of information underlying contraceptive choices. Many influencers persuade people to stop its use, doling out personal testimonies of side effects and adverse outcomes and encouraging women to find alternative natural ways to prevent pregnancies.
Aside from the lack of quality and credible information in these videos, they fail to mention that the appropriate method of birth control depends on an individual's overall health, age, frequency of sexual activity, number of sexual partners, desire to have children in the future, and family history of certain diseases (WHO, 2023) and the encouragement to speaking with a Health Care Provider to support your choice in choosing the correct one for your body.
Foren (2019), in his portrayal of social media and its contribution to misinformation and scaremongering regarding contraceptive issues, encourages clinicians to improve their health communication to remedy these concerns (as cited in Schniederp-Kamp & Takhar, 2023). Egnew et al. (n.d), in their study on perception and contraception and attitudes towards hormonal birth control on Tiktok, further argues that providers should become familiar with the misinformation, terminology, rumors and reported side effects shared on social media to target their messages appropriately.
As a leader of a team that provides sexual health clinical services, it is essential to ensure that we continue to listen to concerns to debunk misinformation and provide youth access to comprehensive, unbiased, reliable and accurate information about sex, relationships and well-being, and support their ability to make evidence-informed choices that are encompassing of their own body and reproductive autonomy.
References
Canadian Institute for Health Information. (2023, June 27). Induced abortions in Canada. Retrieved October 22, 2023, from http://www.www.cihi.ca/en/induced-abortions-in-canada
Egnew, H., et al. (n.d.). Perception and contraception: Attitudes towards hormonal birth control on TikTok. Western University of Health Sciences. http://www.westernu.edu/media/osteopathic/pdfs/tik-tok.pdf
Kaunitz, A. (2023). Patient education: Hormonal methods of birth control (Beyond the Basics). http://www.www.uptodate.com/contents/hormonal-methods-of-birth-control-beyond-the-basics#:~:text=Hormonal%20methods%20of%20birth%20control%20(contraception)%20contain%20either%20estrogen%20and,vaginal%20rings%2C%20and%20skin%20patches.
Le Guen, C., et al. (2021). Reasons for rejecting hormonal contraception in Western countries: a systematic review. Social Science and Medicine, 284. http://www.www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953621005797?via%3Dihub
McEvinney, K. (2023, September 6). Doctors warn about social media link to abortion rise. BBC News. Retrieved October 22, 2023, from http://www./www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-66671765
Pabillar, J. (2021, January 19). Content credibility - Anyone with a broadband connection & a resource to share? [Blog post]. http://www.jpabillar.wixsite.com/e-portfolio/post/type-into-search-where-do-you-get-reliable-accurate-and-credible-information
Schimmele, C., Fonberg, J., & Schellenberg, G. (2021, March 24). Canadian's assessment of social media in their lives. Government of Canada. http://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2021003/article/00004-eng.htm
Schneider-Kamp, A., & Takhar, J. (2023). Interrogating the pill: Rising distrust and the reshaping of health risk perceptions in the social media age. Social Science & Medicine, 331. http://www.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37441974/#:~:text=Via%20exploratory%20online%20observation%20and,reliability%20and%20safety%20to%20those
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Sexual Health. Retrieved October 22, 2023, from http://www.who.int/health-topics/sexual-health#tab=tab_1
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