University of Chicago Medicine research study finds medical misinformation on TikTok

CHICAGO (WLS) -- There are countless videos on topics ranging from sinus infections to diabetes, but some of the most popular TikToks may be filled with medical misinformation.

The findings come from new research conducted by a team at the University of Chicago

"The researchers focused on a specific health condition and performed their search during a single 24-hour period to limit the effects of TikTok's ever-shifting algorithm... around 44% of the videos contained non-factual information," the study reads in part.

A full report on the study can be found on the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division website.

The lead author of the study, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine M.D. candidate Rose Dimitroyannis, joined ABC7 Friday to speak more about the research.

Dimitroyannis spoke about how common it is to find medical misinformation on TikTok, some of the falsehoods they found, the approach used for the research and some of the benefits and dangers of sharing medical information on TikTok.

The full interview can be viewed in the player above.

SEE ALSO | TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance denies it's willing to sell platform as US ban looms