Know the Science: Finding Health Information on Social Media

How To Know if Health Information on Social Media Is Accurate

If you use social media for accessing health information, remember the following:

Check the sponsor’s website.

• Health information on social networking sites is often very brief. For more information, go to the sponsoring organization’s website. On X, look for a link to the website in the header; on Facebook, look in the About section.

Verify that social media accounts are what they claim to be.

• Some social networking sites have a symbol that an account has been verified. For example, Instagram uses a blue badge with a white check mark.

• Use the link from the organization’s official website to go to its social networking sites.

Verify the source of the information being shared.

• It’s important to consider whether the source of the information is reliable. Look for scientific journal articles that support the claim and the background or expertise of the person posting the content.