TikToxic or TikDoc? Adolescents’ Use of Online Short Videos as a Mental Health Information and Support Source

Adolescents increasingly report anxiety and depression complaints, yet few find professional help. Online short videos (OSVs, e.g., TikToks) are popular among adolescents and might be a source of mental health information and support. To get insight into why and how adolescents use mental health OSVs, we examined adolescents’ needs, motivations, barriers, and consequences on their mental health. We interviewed 24 adolescents with anxiety and depression (14-18 years, Mage = 16.21, 58.33% female) and analyzed the data using reflexive thematic analysis. We identified four themes: (1) From being drawn to, to being drowned; (2) A dive into the dark; (3) Supportive scrolls; (4) Not everyone’s cup of T(ikTok). Our themes capture the multifaceted experiences of adolescents. We show how adolescents went through a learning curve in which they initially perceived OSVs as helpful but later as overwhelming and triggering, causing them to ultimately change their use. Our findings have important implications for understanding the promises and pitfalls of OSVs and which strategies adolescents and healthcare professionals can use to navigate these pitfalls (e.g., double-checking information, the importance for professionals to be open-minded and curious about adolescents’ OSVs use). Future research should adopt longitudinal, experimental or data-donation designs to elucidate causal effects.