Is Your Child Being Diagnosed on TikTok?

Confused teen researching her symptoms of ADHD and anxiety. She wonders if she should get formally diagnosed.

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TikTok and other short-video applications have brought a wealth of information about ADHD, autism, and other psychiatric diagnoses to a broad audience. Many recent studies suggest that the increasing conversation and content discussing ADHD and other disorders on TikTok have led to more children being referred to specialists for assessments (Gilmore et al., 2022).

ADHD diagnosis on TikTok is something that many clinicians are observing in their work. While this greater awareness of psychiatric concerns is helpful for kids who are struggling at school and in social settings, it may have some unintended consequences.

For example, many psychologists and psychiatrists have noticed a trend of self-diagnosis of anxiety disorders and autism in their clinical practices, and recent studies suggest that these observations are supported by research (Gilmore et al., 2022; Foster & Ellis, 2024; Weigle, 2023). One study suggests that self-diagnosis of ADHD is prolific after engagement with TikTok. A similar finding was found with autism in a recent study (Alper et al., 2023). Parents have begun to ask if their child is being diagnosed with ADHD on TikTok.

Can Social Media Influence Diagnosis?

I have observed the impact of children and their parents learning about mental health issues on social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. As a clinical psychologist who conducts neuropsychological evaluations, I often meet with families who have questions about whether their child is displaying symptoms that might suggest issues such as ADHD, autism, depression, anxiety, or learning disabilities.

I had a recent appointment with a 12-year-old pre-adolescent young woman who was accompanied by her mother. The young woman took charge of the initial diagnostic interview, offering an array of symptoms suggesting ADHD, learning difficulties, clinical levels of anxiety and depression, and a variety of executive functioning struggles. She also mentioned concerns regarding derealization and OCD-like symptoms. Beyond the symptom list, she also questioned whether she had ADHD, autism, and OCD.

Over the course of the diagnostic evaluation, I learned that this young woman was performing exceptionally well in school, was well-connected with her peer group, and engaged in a number of extracurricular activities. At home, she spent a lot of time online, texting friends and using both Instagram and TikTok regularly. Her mother was also engaged with social media and was aware of many of the criteria for diagnoses of ADHD and anxiety issues.

Towards the conclusion of the first session (which turned out to be the last one), I commented that despite the many symptoms, perhaps she might not have all of these disorders. I carefully (or so I thought) suggested that her symptoms might not warrant a clinical diagnosis due to the lack of impairment, her excellent adjustment at school and with her peers, and the absence of any medical or psychosocial struggles. This was met with deafening silence on the part of her mom and the young woman.

While I did attempt to help them understand the spectrum of normal, appropriate emotions and stressors that are typical for preteens and teens, they were confident that these symptoms indicated a clear psychiatric diagnosis. I tried to convey that a mental health disorder significantly disrupts a person’s daily functioning at home, in school, or socially, and that it causes high levels of distress and interferes across many settings.

Why TikTok’s Algorithm May Exacerbate Self-Diagnosis

TikTok, in particular, may exacerbate the tendency toward self-diagnosis. It utilizes a somewhat different algorithmic approach, which can be different from other social media platforms. Most other social media apps prioritize showing content from popular creators. However, TikTok tends to look at content specific to the user. If a user has engaged with similar content by commenting on it or spending time with it, TikTok continues to present similar types of content on its “For You” page.

Teen feeling validated by other teens sharing their experiences and symptoms of ADHD on TikTok.

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Unfortunately, many of the short-form videos presented on TikTok and other video-based social media technologies are not always accurate. A recent study suggested that 84 percent of mental health advice on TikTok videos is misleading (read more here). And 52 percent of the 100 most popular videos about ADHD were classified as misleading, while only 21 percent were classified as being useful (Yeung et al., 2022).

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How Social Media Impacts Psychiatric Symptoms

Making an ADHD diagnosis on TikTok is relatively easy. These studies suggest that complex ADHD symptoms make short-form video an inadequate medium for accurate communication. The truth is that nearly everyone has a little bit of inattention or expresses some degree of stress or sadness, but that does not mean that they should be diagnosed with ADHD, generalized anxiety disorder, or persistent depressive disorder.

The Dangers of Misleading Mental Health Advice on TikTok and YouTube

Rather than being curious, these teenagers become overly concerned and search for information online, often on TikTok and YouTube. They may be more likely to self-diagnose based on this information, and if they engage with online communities, they’ll find other individuals who share the same concerns.

While it’s encouraging that we are now more open to understanding psychological difficulties and that the stigma surrounding them has decreased, this shift has also led to some challenges. The widespread access to individuals claiming to have these disorders can lead to the misinterpretation of normal feelings as symptoms of a disorder. This misinterpretation may increase anxiety and concern about mental health issues. This could create a self-fulfilling prophecy where individuals begin to exhibit behaviors associated with a disorder simply because they believe they have one.

If I am allowed to be cynical for a moment, the impact of social media on teens and preteens around psychiatric issues has kept me extremely busy over the past half a dozen years. Most of the time, it’s warranted. The demands of school and growing up in a politically charged world, where the adults are not doing a good job of solving environmental, economic, military, and societal crises, cause stress for everyone.

Teenagers, who are not yet ready to deal with these issues, can be overwhelmed by their exposure to this information online and via social media. Prior to widespread access to the internet and social media, parents could partially protect their kids from these worries. However, that is no longer the case, and many teenagers experience higher levels of societal and personal stress as a result.

Teen scrolling on TikTok questioning their mental health diagnosis based on the content they are being exposed to online.

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How Adults Can Help Self-Diagnosed Teens

In my office, some of these stressed-out preteens and teens do not present with a clear psychiatric diagnosis. Some of these individuals may have subclinical levels of these disorders, which means many of the same strategies that work for people diagnosed with ADHD, autism, depression, and anxiety will be helpful for them. Individuals who are legitimately diagnosed with these disorders are likely to benefit from more intensive approaches that might also include strategies such as medication, weekly psychotherapy, and more intensive techniques.

For those with subclinical levels, less focus on diagnosis and pathology and more attention to developing skills might help them cope with their struggles. This includes developing executive functioning, social-emotional learning, and other soft skills such as grit, persistence, and creativity, as well as psychoeducation. Having valid and reliable information is important for enhancing the mental health of teenagers. It can help many adolescents gain a better understanding of themselves. However, social media may hinder the accurate diagnosis of these issues.

Parents and professionals should inform teens and preteens that it’s common for many people to experience stress, difficulties with attention, sadness, social challenges, and fluctuations in school or work performance. Some may even develop physical symptoms like headaches or stomachaches due to life’s pressures. Life isn’t always easy! However, these feelings do not always require a psychiatric diagnosis or intensive treatment. Instead, it is often more beneficial for teens to focus on developing healthy lifestyles, understanding stress, being mindful of their experiences, and learning how to improve themselves.