TikTok has quickly become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide as of 2024. However, it’s also causing some major problems when it comes to spreading fear. With its algorithm focused on maximizing user engagement, dramatic and emotionally charged videos like those about health scares or conspiracy theories are more likely to go viral. Studies have shown that content evoking emotions like fear is 20% more likely to be shared than neutral or positive content. This has led to a rise in fear-mongering content that can make people anxious or misinformed.
Experts are concerned about the impact this has, especially on younger users who might not have the skills to tell when something is exaggerated or false. 63% of TikTok users are between the ages of 16 and 24, making them particularly vulnerable to misinformation.
“Younger people are more impressionable,” senior Eleni Marousis said, “I hope I can spot fake information and have a 90% certainty that I can.”However, even these students have found themselves sharing false information at times.
“I have shared and learned information that I thought at the time was real,” Marousis said. “I showed it to my dad for confirmation and found out the info was false.”
This highlights the ease with which misinformation can be shared—nearly 60% of TikTok users say they’ve encountered misleading or false content on the platform.
Dr. Emily Rodriguez, a media literacy expert, notes that the emotional content TikTok promotes can cause people to believe in things that aren’t true, leading to unnecessary worry.
“The algorithm promotes content that gets a strong emotional reaction, like fear, so these videos reach millions of people,” Rodriguez said.
Research supports this, with one study finding that 72% of viral videos on TikTok trigger strong emotions, with fear often being a major driver.
While some TikTok creators are fighting back by using their platforms to spread awareness about misinformation, the problem persists. Hashtags like #CriticalThinking and #Debunked are gaining popularity, encouraging users to question the content they see and verify its accuracy before sharing it. In 2023, #Debunked had over 100 million views, showing the growing demand for efforts to counter misinformation.
Despite these efforts, TikTok’s design still encourages sensationalism, and fear-based content continues to thrive.
“I haven’t had any information that has scared me,” but Marousis said, “I feel it has happened to people I know many times.”
This highlights the importance of media literacy—teaching people, especially younger audiences, how to recognize fake news and think critically about what they see online. As TikTok keeps influencing millions, it’s more important than ever to understand the media we consume. The more we learn to spot misleading content, the less power fear-mongering narratives will have over us.