TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are the first ports of call for millions of young Nigerians seeking quick fixes and trendy health tips. From “miracle” diet teas to 15-second skin-care tips, social media is the world school of health but one with learning opportunities as well as dangers.
With over a billion monthly active users on TikTok worldwide and Nigeria as part of its fast-growing cohorts, a swift hashtag search like #HealthTok or #SkincareRoutine returns millions of videos. The majority target customers who are shy or cannot afford to go to a clinic, thus social media is a huge attraction. The lure is simple: convenience, familiarity, and affordability. For young Nigerians with prohibitive healthcare costs and limited access, a 30-second video promise of glowing skin “overnight” or losing weight “without exercise” appears to be a lifeline.
But the same availability is dangerous. Based on a 2022 Journal of Adolescent Health study, almost a third of TikTok’s viral health content was found to be inaccurate or deceptive. In Nigeria, the impact is clear from unsafe skin-lightening practices to high consumption of herbal medications, and viral detoxes leading to excessive dehydration. The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly warned that social media misinformation fuels hazardous health behaviors, a trend starkly highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Algorithms themselves are part of the issue. Platforms are built to favor attention-grabbing, shareable content over fact. A misleading “miracle cure” will often outcompete a rational medical explanation. Still, social media has been a double-edged blade. Hashtags such as #SafePeriod on menstrual wellness and #MentalHealthAwareness have facilitated dialogue long considered taboo. During the pandemic, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and WHO Nigeria used Instagram Lives and TikTok to counter misinformation with facts.
Nigeria’s health experts are also reclaiming the space. Skincare experts use reels to debunk myths about bleaching, and dieticians educate followers about the dangers of fad diets. This shift makes the audience no longer just viewers but questioners and learners.
The issue is balancing it out. Digital literacy is important for people, but teachers and parents must guide teenagers who spend three to five hours a day on social media (Statista, 2023). Policymakers and platforms also need to act. TikTok has included fact-checking tools, but enforcement remains weak. Nigerian health authorities can partner with influencers to develop authenticated campaigns, turning algorithms into friends instead of enemies.
The risks are genuine. Remember Davina Isaac, who developed chemical burns for attempting a TikTok skincare hack with lemon juice and toothpaste. There are, however, success stories too: young adults who quit smoking due to going viral, and mothers who discovered healthy ways to prepare meals through Instagram reels.
Social media is not an adversary nor a friend, it is a tool. It can poison with inattentive hands, but cure with mindful hands. For Nigeria, with unequal access to health, TikTok and Instagram will be shaping health behavior. The challenge now is how to empower the citizenry to distinguish between poison in the guise of harmful myths and medicine in the guise of beneficial health advice.
Because in an era in which a single viral video can go viral and reach millions, one share can make a difference save a life or kill it.
