WHO & TikTok Partner to Enhance Health Communication

This collaboration seeks to leverage social media's growing influence to improve health literacy and promote positive health behaviors globally. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) and TikTok have announced a year-long partnership to deliver science-based health information to the public. 

This collaboration seeks to leverage social media's growing influence to improve health literacy and promote positive health behaviors globally. 

In an era of rampant misinformation, especially on digital platforms, the partnership intends to tackle these challenges by promoting credible, evidence-based content.

Dr Jeremy Farrar, WHO's Chief Scientist, remarked, “This collaboration can be an inflection point in how platforms can be more socially responsible. The intersection of health and technology presents an opportunity to reach people of all ages, where they are when they want to access.” 

The initiative underscores the importance of responsible health communication in an increasingly digitized world, where social media significantly influences health-related behaviors and decisions.

Addressing Misinformation

The collaboration is critical when one in four young adults actively seeks health news on platforms such as TikTok. 

This demographic is also highly susceptible to misinformation, making it vital to provide reliable health content. TikTok aims to utilize its platform to foster health awareness and ensure access to trustworthy information. 

Valiant Richey, TikTok’s Global Head of Trust and Safety Outreach and Partnerships, stated, “We know that millions of people come to TikTok every day to share and find community in all areas of their life, including their well-being, and we strive to ensure they can find reliable information on this important topic. Today, we are delighted to collaborate with the World Health Organization’s Fides network of health influencers to strengthen this commitment by bringing engaging and authoritative mental well-being content to our community.”

This partnership with the WHO's Fides network, which mobilizes health content creators, is crucial for countering misinformation and promoting accurate health information. 

The Fides network, launched in 2020, has a community of over 800 creators who collectively reach 150 million people across various platforms. 

This enables WHO to enhance its communication efforts and provide targeted health information to the public.

Dr Alain Labrique, Director of Digital Health and Innovation at WHO, said, “Creators who understand their audience’s needs have a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between science and everyday life. This is where WHO can step in to support influencers in delivering evidence-based information, ensuring that health conversations on platforms like TikTok are both impactful and informed.”

Furthermore, the collaboration will focus on translating complex scientific information into accessible and relatable video content. 

TikTok plans to provide additional support for influencers through its creator training programs. This initiative aims to enhance the quality of health dialogues and empower creators to share reliable information effectively.

Stay tuned for more such updates on Digital Health News.