Adolescent engagement and sentiment toward reproductive-health videos on Chinese social media: a cross-sectional content analysis
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Background
Adolescent reproductive health information is increasingly sought on social-media platforms, yet the scope, credibility, and emotional reception of such content remain unclear in China. This study examined how adolescents engage with reproductive-health videos on Bilibili, a video-sharing site with about 341 million monthly users, most of whom are 24 years old or younger, to identify information gaps and factors shaping online discourse.
Methods
Using an 18-keyword query, we retrieved metadata and user-generated text for 743 Bilibili videos published between September 2016 and June 2024. The dataset contained 486.8 million views, 12.3 million likes, and approximately 760,000 textual entries (comments plus danmaku). After duplicate removal and chinese word segmentation, we conducted descriptive and Pearson-correlation analyses of engagement metrics and applied a three-class sentiment classifier, powered by the large language model/ (Qwen2.5-32B), to all comments and danmaku. The medical backgrounds of uploaders were manually verified to confirm their professional qualifications.
Results
Views showed strong positive correlations with likes (r = 0.7), collections (r = 0.74), and shares (r = 0.74); collections and shares were almost linearly related (r = 0.9). Less frequently covered topics, such as sterilisation surgery (3.0 % of videos) and fertility-awareness-based methods (2.3%), attracted disproportionately high like, share, and comment rates. Only 17 % of uploaders had confirmed medical training, and none were identified for videos on novel contraceptive methods or spontaneous abortion. Sentiment analysis revealed mainly negative reactions to induced abortion (52.2% negative) and novel contraceptives (52.1% negative), whereas content on coping with spontaneous abortion elicited the highest proportion of positive sentiment (24.2 %). Negative sentiment correlated moderately with larger comment volume (r = 0.32) but showed inverse associations with likes (r = −0.38) and virtual-coin donations (r = −0.51).
Conclusions
On Bilibili, adolescent engagement centres on basic contraception, yet niche or contentious topics drive greater interaction and polarised emotions, often without professional oversight. Coordinated efforts among healthcare providers, educators, and influential uploaders are needed to deliver accurate and empathetic content that addresses unmet informational needs. Adapting the emotional framing of messages could further enhance reach and foster constructive discussion on sensitive reproductive-health issues.
