Training TikTok creators in mental health communication can benefit their audiences on social media
Listed in
This article is not in any list yet, why not save it to one of your lists.Abstract
The rapid rise of social media presents new opportunities for implementing network interventions to improve health outcomes. In the mental health domain, content creators can serve as influential community leaders, yet it remains unclear whether creator-focused training impacts the mental health attitudes and behaviors of their audiences. This study evaluates the effectiveness of creator-focused interventions on the mental health knowledge and knowledge-based skill bases of their audiences using two experiments. First, an on-platform randomized controlled trial (RCT) provided evidence-based mental health communication toolkits and training to TikTok creators. Analyzing 188,169 comments from 1,882 videos by 49 creators (March–May 2023), we found a 4% increase in foundational mental health knowledge construction among viewers—defined as the initial stage of learning through reflection on personal experiences or opinions. Second, an off-platform survey experiment exposed a nationally representative sample of 1,000 U.S. youth (aged 14–22) to pre- and post-training videos created by a lifestyle influencer. Participants who viewed the post-training video showed significant improvements in both perceived and objectively assessed emotional support skills. By combining the external validity of the on-platform RCT with the internal validity of the survey experiment, our study provides robust evidence that creator training toolkits can enhance mental health knowledge and competencies among audiences, supporting the promise of scalable, evidence-based communication strategies on social media.
