Patients are getting health info from social media, even when they’re not looking for it

Social media is now a top source of health information for Americans, even for those who say they don’t seek it out.

According to a new KFF Health Tracking Poll of 1,283 U.S. adults, 55% say they use social media to find health information at least occasionally. That number climbs significantly among younger adults and Black and Hispanic populations.

Whether users actively search for medical content or not, they’re likely to encounter it.

According to the report, published August 7, 2025, 72% of adults say they’ve seen posts about weight loss, diet or nutrition on social media platforms in the past month. Fifty-eight percent reported seeing content related to mental health.

“Even people who say they never use social media for health information and advice report being exposed to health information in the past month,” the authors noted. “Weight loss, nutrition and diet information [are] the most common.”

High exposure, low trust

Despite the flood of health-related posts, skepticism is widespread. Fewer than one in 10 social media users say they trust most of the health information and advice they encounter on any platform.

YouTube, TikTok and Reddit earned the highest marks, relatively speaking. At least 30% of users on each platform said they trusted “some” of the health information they saw. Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) scored lower, and trust levels were even worse on WhatsApp, Snapchat and Bluesky.

Even among the most engaged age group, trust is tenuous. Just over half (54%) of TikTok users aged 18 to 29 said they found at least “some” of the platform’s health content trustworthy.

The rise of the health influencer

About one in six social media users — 14% of the public overall — say they regularly turn to influencers for health advice. That share rises to 23% among 18- to 29-year-olds and 21% among Black adults.

Among those who follow health influencers, 61% believe the content creators are motivated primarily by financial interests. Still, 36% of users who seek health advice online say they have a particular influencer they trust.

Respondents named a wide range of public individuals, from mainstream figures like Joe Rogan, Dr. Phil, Oprah Winfrey, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Tucker Carlson to physicians like Peter Attia, M.D., and Jennifer Lincoln, M.D., IBCLC.

What you need to know

The report underscores a shift in how health information is consumed, and by whom. Younger, Black and Hispanic adults are disproportionately likely to seek and trust health content via social media.

Physicians who want to counter misinformation or reach patients where they are may need to engage directly in these digital spaces, combatting misinformation and providing patients with an easily accessible source of reliable health info. The KFF report notes the importance of transparency, financial disclosures and evidence-based messaging from social media health influencers.