Nurses are taking on TikToks viral health myths heres how theyre fighting back
A frontline battle against troubling trends.Doctors and health experts have long been sounding the alarm over the controversial hot health takes flooding TikTok and other social media platforms.Now, nurses are being trained to fight back against the wellness trends and misinformation spreading across their patients’ feeds.From “nature’s Ozempic” to sunscreen myths, health advice runs rampant under the “For You” tab, even when the science doesn’t always back up the claim.And more people are turning to social media for answers: Fifty-five percent of adults said they use social media for health information, according to a 2025 Kaiser Family Foundation survey.That’s prompting nurse practitioners to take matters into their own hands, training future nurses to critically evaluate viral health trends, help patients navigate the overwhelming amount of information online and guide them toward evidence-based care.The Passan School of Nursing at Wilkes University is among the programs shifting its curriculum to address the changing information landscape, from undergraduate courses through Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees, Meghan Pontz, a nurse practitioner and professor of practice at the Passan School of Nursing, told The Post.The viral hot takes aren’t new territory for healthcare providers.Pontz conceded that many of them have excellent hooks and that social media is increasingly where patients get their information.To meet patients where they are, students in one course are even assigned to make a short, TikTok-style video to discuss a disease process they’re comfortable treating.But, the curriculum goes beyond making videos or responding to misleading content about trends such as mouth taping, which is among the trends that most concern Pontz.Nurse practitioners are taking a more proactive approach, equipping their communities with correct information by also focusing on proactive health teaching.“We’re looking at our curriculum to make su...