The majority of TikTok users in Brighton say they have been negatively impacted by health misinformation on the platform.

With many self-claimed medical experts using the social media service to share advice and diagnoses, snippets of false information are being openly consumed by unknowing users.

It has resulted in 85.7 per cent of TikTok users in the city seeing a downturn in their mental wellbeing after watching the fake videos.

A spokeswoman for Superdrug Online Doctor, which revealed the figures, said: “A new study has revealed that people in Brighton act on health advice seen online an average of four times a year, either by sharing with friends, researching symptoms, or purchasing products.

“There is an unspoken impact of misleading health content including misdiagnosis and increased needless anxiety. The research revealed many people in Brighton feel health misinformation can have a negative impact on mental health - the highest percentage across the UK, whilst 73.5 per cent believe it can impact their general confidence.”

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It was also found that 42 per cent of people in Brighton felt they learned more about sexual health from TikTok than they did at school.

“Sexual health information has gained a huge audience on social media, with 1.6 billion views on TikTok’s sexual health hashtag and an even bigger 3.1 billion views for STI symptoms,” the spokeswoman said.

“This could be due to the accessibility of online information, with one in three people saying that advice and information on TikTok is the most accessible for them.”

During the study, Facebook was voted the most trusted platform for health advice by 16 per cent, and Twitter the least trusted with only 2 per cent believing it is a reliable source for health information.

The research commissioned by Superdrug Online Doctor also reveals that 55 per cent of Brightonians have taken action due to a health-related social media post.

This could be through looking up symptoms, sharing a post with a friend or even purchasing an item.

In fact, people in Brighton spend an average of up to £20 on health products as a result of social media with six per cent spending up to £100 a year.