I will be the primary to confess that I run to Google every time I discover one thing in my physique is out of alignment. A delicate scalp? Google. A sudden twitch in my proper eye? Google. Modifications in my interval? You recognize it, Google.
Because it seems, I am not alone in turning to a search engine as my first port of name for well being considerations. In response to a brand new examine, 56% of British girls belief engines like google like Google for details about their menstrual well being, and one in 10 girls flip to social media – with TikTok alone having 7.6 billion video views underneath the hashtag #womenshealth.
However the issue with this, says the examine from period-tracking app Flo Well being, is that social media search outcomes and recommendation typically comprise misinformation about intervals or are extra common data, when you really want personalised recommendation.
“The expansion of on-line platforms and social media has gone hand in hand with the rise in misinformation about menstruation,” stated Dr. Claudia Pastides, director of medical accuracy at Flo. “Because of the ubiquity and vastness of the web, disinformation can unfold at lightning pace.
“On the similar time, we not often query the validity and credibility of sources we flip to. In actual fact, a 2022 Ofcom report discovered that 30% of adults didn’t know or didn’t contemplate the potential veracity of knowledge on-line, and 6% believed that any data they discover on-line is truthful. One other 34% of 16-24 12 months olds consider that if web sites are listed by a search engine, they may comprise correct and unbiased data.”
Younger girls are significantly inclined to looking for menstrual recommendation, with the 18 to 34 age group most definitely to lookup medical questions on-line, and 18% of 18 to 24 12 months olds flip to social media for menstrual well being recommendation.
