We’ve already heard a lot about the negative impact of social media, like how it keeps kids hooked to screens. But one of its emerging problems is the terrible medical advice being shared on the platform. The platform is often used for new learning dance routines or a new recipe, but it’s also being used to share health-related advice from non-professionals.
A new study led by researchers at Université de Montréal has assessed TikTok videos about anterior cruciate ligament rehabilitation exercises, and the result is not exactly reassuring. The team looked at 106 videos found through the search term “ACL rehab exercises,” including 55 posted by ordinary users and 51 posted by health care professionals.
According to the researchers, many teens have started turning to TikTok after sports injuries, especially ACL tears, before asking a doctor or physical therapist detailed questions.
Why a viral video isn’t more useful
The study used the Modified DISCERN tool, a standard way to evaluate the reliability and quality of online medical information. Videos from health care professionals performed better than videos from ordinary users, but the researchers still found major limitations across the board.
Part of the problem is TikTok itself. ACL recovery cannot be properly explained in a quick clip designed to grab attention. A decent rehab video needs to explain the injury, symptoms, treatment options, exercise purpose, proper form, safety precautions, and when to progress. All of this doesn’t always translate well to a format built for instant scrolling.
What makes matters worse is the algorithm as well. A more useful video isn’t the one being pushed forward; rather, you’re only seeing the ones that got more views. The researchers found ordinary-user videos drew more views and followers than posts from health care professionals, even when the professional content was higher quality.
ACL recovery is not a new trend
A torn ACL is a serious injury, especially for young athletes. Recovery can take 9 to 12 months, and returning to sports too early or following poor guidance can increase the risk of another injury.
TikTok rehab videos may show exercises without explaining why they matter, how they should be performed, or where they fit in the recovery timeline. For an injury that often requires physiotherapy, bracing, and sometimes surgery, that kind of fragmented advice can be actively unhelpful. Earlier research on ACL rehabilitation videos on TikTok found very poor educational value.
To put it simply, your feed is not your physical therapist. The researchers are not saying health care professionals should abandon TikTok. Actually, they argue the opposite. Young people are already searching there, so better medical voices need to show up where the audience is. Platforms like YouTube have even added a dedicated hub for teens to find reliable mental health-related content. So it can be managed in a better way.
