Feb 10, 2022 17:00:00

TikTok allows 'advertisements that recommend self-diagnosis and treatment of ADHD' that prey on young people

Attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention, and is said to be present in about 3 to 7% of school-age children. It is reported that advertisements recommending 'self-diagnosis and treatment' regarding ADHD are permitted on TikTok, a short movie sharing SNS popular with young people.

TikTok is enabling predatory ADHD advertisers to target young users | Media Matters for America
https://www.mediamatters.org/tiktok/tiktok-enabling-predatory-adhd-advertisers-target-young-users

On January 28, 2022, NBC News in the United States reported that ' Advertisements linking ADHD to obesity are displayed on TikTok and Instagram .' This ad was posted by Cerebral , a startup that provides online mental health services, with the text 'Impulsively living people eat impulsively' on a video of a woman surrounded by junk food, 'ADHD. Adults are five times more obese, 'he said, claiming that treating mental health disorders would prevent binge eating.

When NBC News inquired about the ad, Instagram parent companies Meta and TikTok reportedly removed the ad. However, according to Media Matters, an SNS-related media, TikTok still displays ADHD-related advertisements similar to those covered by NBC News.

If you look at the Cerebral ad illustrated by Media Matters, you'll see 'How to Recognize Inattentive ADHD in Women,' followed by 'spacey' and 'forgetful.' It raises elements such as 'chatty' and finally states 'you can take control of your ADHD'.

Elements such as 'dumb, forgetful, and talkative' featured in Cerebral's ads are very common, and it is dangerous to self-diagnose 'I am ADHD' based solely on this. According to Media Matters, TikTok has posted a number of movies that oversimplify ADHD disorders and introduce them in the form of 'ADHD features' and 'ADHD check', and Cerebral's advertisement piggybacked on this trend. That is.

In recent years, knowledge about mental health and developmental disorders has become common, and the

problem of recommending inappropriate self-diagnosis on SNS such as TikTok has beenpointed out . Media Matters said that generalizing and disseminating the symptoms of ADHD could fall under the 'medical misinformation that could be harmful to an individual's physical health' prohibited by TikTok in community guidelines . I am saying.

In addition, Done , a startup that provides another online medical service, more explicitly encouraged users to self-diagnose ADHD and advertised its own service that can treat ADHD. Done demanded that he answer the one-minute question, saying, 'You can see if Done can help you by just answering six questions.' This question did not make a formal diagnosis, but it could tell the user 'whether ADHD is likely' and use Done's services to make an appointment with a licensed healthcare professional. He insisted that he could do it.

Done's ads use TikTok's popular music and formats, suggesting that they are specifically targeting young people.

Another ad argues that young people under the age of 18 may have ADHD if they experience anxiety, depressive symptoms, lagging intelligence, laziness, etc., and using Done's services and medications improves the problem. I suggest you can.

Done also associates 'emptiness' and 'decreased motivation' with ADHD, but

Kevin Antshel , a professor of psychology at Syracuse University , said these sensations are extremely high in pandemics, not just in ADHD patients. Pointed out that it is common in. On the other hand, he acknowledges that the online practice services offered by Cerebral and Done may help many to access mental health care.

Some users have already noticed that medical companies are advertising on TikTok and recommending medication to treat ADHD. Media Matters pointed out that taking ADHD treatments in the wrong way poses medical risks , and TikTok not only allows young users to misleading ads, but also these. He accused him of profiting from advertising companies.