TikTok misinformation content on acetaminophen and autism surged after presidential announcement
A majority of misinformation was created by influencers rather than medical professionals
American Academy of Pediatrics
SAN DIEGO —— Misinformation linking acetaminophen use during pregnancy to autism in children rose on TikTok after an announcement from the Food and Drug Administration, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2026 National Conference & Exhibition Oct. 2-6, 2026, at the San Diego Convention Center.
The FDA announced a label change for acetaminophen products such as Tylenol on September 22, 2025, prompting a wave of confusion and concern that brought users to the internet in search of accurate information. On TikTok, however, they were more likely to encounter misinformation from influencers without medical expertise.
The abstract, titled, “Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Autism on TikTok: Disproportionate Exposure to Misinformation in a Content Analysis,” analyzed 53 TikTok videos posted immediately after the announcement between September 2025 and November 2025, and found that about 53% contained evidence-consistent information, while about 28% contained outright misinformation.
“Despite being a smaller portion of the overall available subject content, the misinformation videos accounted for over half of the total views of all the content we examined,” Shivani Srivastava, Medical Student at Rutgers School of Medicine said.
“Our results indicate that TikTok’s algorithm amplified low-quality, conspiracy-framed videos containing misinformation on a very sensitive health topic and allowed for misinformation videos to spread far wider than evidence-based videos that explained the lack of causal evidence between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and autism.”
A single misinformation video reached 10.3 million views, representing a third (36.6%) of all exposure across content analyzed. Additionally, nearly 3/4 of the videos containing misinformation were created by influencers as opposed to medical professionals.
Researchers state that as more people turn to social media, and especially TikTok, for medical advice, it becomes increasingly important for pediatricians to proactively address misinformation with patients and their families.
“After seeing pregnant patients in our own clinics question whether it was safe to take Tylenol during pregnancy, we wanted to understand what information they were being exposed to online,” Srivastava said. “Our findings reveal how important it is for medical institutions to be part of the conversations on social media by sharing accurate, engaging content that reaches patients where they are.”
Media Relations Contact: Lavene Gass, lag311@njms.rutgers.edu
Study author Katherine Poole is scheduled to present the research, which is below, from 10:20 to 10:30 a.m. PDT on Sunday, Oct. 4 at the Marriott.
In addition, Ms. Poole will be among highlighted abstract authors who will give brief presentations and be available for interviews during a “Soundbite Session” from noon- 1 pm PDT Sunday, Oct. 4, in the conference center Press Room, 14A.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org. Reporters can access the meeting program and other relevant meeting information through the AAP meeting website at http://www.aapexperience.org/
Program Name: Call for Abstracts
Submission Type: Council on Adolescents and Young Adults
Abstract Title: Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Autism on TikTok: Disproportionate Exposure to Misinformation in a Content Analysis
Katherine Poole
Hoboken, NJ, United States
TikTok is a primary source of health information for adolescents and young adults, a population at particular risk when algorithmic amplification accelerates the spread of medical misinformation. In September 2025, public attention to a proposed association between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), despite the absence of causal evidence, triggered a rapid surge of TikTok content on the topic. Misinformation in this environment poses direct risk to prenatal health decision-making among young people of reproductive age.
We conducted a cross-sectional content analysis of 53 TikTok videos posted between September and November 2025, identified using the search terms "tylenol autism," "acetaminophen autism," "paracetamol autism," and #tylenol (IRB approval: Pro2026000574). Two reviewers independently coded videos for misinformation status, creator type, educational quality using the validated Global Quality Scale (GQS), thematic framing, and engagement metrics. Inter-rater reliability for misinformation classification was substantial (Cohen's kappa = 0.86). Group differences were assessed using Fisher's exact test and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Independent predictors of misinformation were assessed using Firth penalized logistic regression. All analyses were performed in R version 4.5.3.
Of 53 videos, 52.8% were evidence-consistent, 28.3% contained misinformation, and 18.9% were mixed or uncertain. Health professionals produced exclusively evidence-consistent content, while influencers accounted for 73.3% of all misinformation videos (p < 0.001). Misinformation videos were of significantly lower educational quality than evidence-consistent videos (mean GQS 1.73 vs. 4.18, p < 0.001) and were more likely to include conspiracy framing (46.7%) and pharmaceutical distrust (53.3%, p < 0.001). Despite comprising only 28.3% of videos, misinformation accounted for 52.4% of total views across 28.13 million total views. A single misinformation video reached 10.3 million views, representing 36.6% of all exposure across analyzed videos. In logistic regression, lower educational quality and conspiracy framing were each independently associated with misinformation (p < 0.001 and p = 0.012, respectively), while creator type was not independently significant after adjustment.
TikTok's recommendation algorithm disproportionately amplified low-quality, conspiracy-framed content during this health controversy, giving misinformation far greater reach than evidence-based videos. Pediatricians should proactively address this content in clinical conversations with patients of reproductive age. Broader solutions will require platform-level content moderation and coordinated public health responses to counter misinformation on platforms widely used by adolescents and young adults.
Figure 1. Educational quality and exposure of TikTok videos discussing acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder risk (N = 53).
Each bubble represents one video. The x-axis shows Global Quality Scale (GQS) score and the y-axis shows total view count (log scale). Bubble size reflects share count, while shape indicates creator type and color indicates content classification. The y-axis is log-scaled to account for the wide range of view counts.
Figure 2. Predictors of misinformation in TikTok videos discussing acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder risk (N = 53), estimated using Firth penalized logistic regression.
Diamonds represent odds ratios and horizontal lines represent 95% confidence intervals. Red indicates statistical significance (p < 0.05) and blue indicates non-significance (p ≥ 0.05). The dashed vertical line marks the null (OR = 1).
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Autism on TikTok: Disproportionate Exposure to Misinformation in a Content Analysis
Article Publication Date
2-Oct-2026
Social media analysis finds health institutions delayed or did not respond to false claims inking autism to acetaminophen use during pregnancy
Audit of Instagram posts shows American Academy of Pediatrics was the exception in responding to misinformation
SAN DIEGO — Most public health institutions failed to respond in a timely way to misinformation on social media that falsely claimed that acetaminophen during pregnancy is linked to autism, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2026 National Conference & Exhibition.
Researchers reviewed public social media (Instagram) posts from 65 accounts including top children’s hospitals, medical societies, and state health departments, auditing accounts to assess their response to popular misinformation on this topic from September through November, 2025. They identified the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) as the fastest and most active account to respond during this time, according to authors.
“As social media grows in popularity as a source of medical information, it is imperative to understand the ways trusted sources communicate this information,” said author Jessica Visone, a medical student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She will present the abstract, “Administrative Gaps in Digital Patient Engagement: An Audit of Institutional Responsiveness to the 2025 Acetaminophen-Autism Controversy,” during the Oct. 2-6 conference in San Diego.
“We need to ensure the right information is reaching the appropriate audiences to promote health and well-being for all. At a time of increased misinformation, there is nothing more powerful than the truth when it comes to population health.”
The research audits the timeliness and quality of digital communications from pediatric organizations following messaging from the White House on September 22, 2025, linking acetaminophen use to autism.
The analysis found only 14 of 65 institutions (21.5%) of the accounts posted anything relevant to correct false claims concerning the purported cause of autism. None of the state health departments addressed the topic and children’s hospitals took as long as 51 days to address the topic, according to research. The AAP responded on Day 1 and posted 10 relevant posts over the time period.
Of the 26 relevant posts analyzed, all used plain-language formatting and myth-busting framing, but the average reading level was well above the average 8th-grade reading level in the U.S., according to the research. No multilingual content was identified across any institution.
“Overall, through this audit of major pediatric health institutions, we found a limited and delayed response to an active health controversy,” Visone said. “Major health organizations have a responsibility to communicate with the populations they serve during times of increased health misinformation.”
The full team who contributed to this research included Kathryn Whitehill, MD, and medical students: Shivani Srivastava and Katherine Poole.
Media Relations Contact:
Lavene Gass, lag311@njms.rutgers.edu
Contact: Jessica Visone
Email: jnv38@njms.rutgers.edu
Ms. Visone is scheduled to present a poster, described in the abstract below, between 11 am – 1 pm PT Saturday, Oct. 3 for the Section on Administration and Practice Management, H3062.
In addition, Ms. Visone, second-year medical student, will be among highlighted abstract authors who will give brief presentations and be available for interviews during a “Soundbite Session” from noon- 1 pm PT Sunday, Oct. 4, in the conference center Press Room, 14A.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org. Reporters can access the meeting program and other relevant meeting information through the AAP meeting website at http://www.aapexperience.org/
ABSTRACT
Submission Type: Section on Administration and Practice Management
Abstract Title: Administrative Gaps in Digital Patient Engagement: An Audit of Institutional Responsiveness to the 2025 Acetaminophen-Autism Controversy
Jessica Visone
In September 2025, claims linking prenatal acetaminophen use to autism spectrum disorder spread rapidly across social media, despite the lack of causal evidence. Pediatric families rely on trusted institutions, such as hospitals, state departments, and national organizations for accurate health information, yet little is known about how quickly and effectively these institutions respond during active health information controversies. This study audits the timeliness and quality of digital communications from pediatric organizations following messaging from the White House on September 22, 2025 linking acetaminophen use to autism, using guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) as a benchmark.
We conducted a cross-sectional audit of public Instagram accounts between September 22 and November 15, 2025, from 65 health organizations, including the top children's hospitals for pediatric and adolescent behavioral health, professional medical societies, and state health departments serving the largest pediatric populations. We measured time to first relevant post, proportion of controversy-related content, and communication quality. Quality was assessed using Flesch-Kincaid grade level, SMOG index, multilingual availability, and accessibility features. All analyses were conducted in R version 4.5.3.
Only 14 of 65 institutions (21.5%) posted content addressing the controversy. The AAP responded on Day 1 and published 10 relevant posts across the study period. No state health departments posted any relevant content. Among institutions that did post, hospital responses lagged up to 51 days behind the AAP. Non-responding institutions were not inactive: some published over 100 posts on unrelated topics during the same period, suggesting silence reflected administrative choice rather than limited capacity. Of the 26 relevant posts analyzed, 85% used plain-language formatting and myth-busting framing, but the average reading level was Flesch-Kincaid grade 11.4, well above the average 8th-grade reading level in the US. No multilingual content was identified across any institution.
The AAP demonstrated that rapid, high-quality digital communication is achievable during a fast-moving health controversy. Most pediatric hospitals and all state health departments in this sample failed to match that standard, leaving families without institutional guidance during an active misinformation event. These findings point to a gap in administrative infrastructure and policy, not just content. Pediatric health systems should develop standardized rapid-response protocols that include pre-approved messaging templates written at or below an 8th-grade reading level, multilingual content, and clear internal processes for activating effective and accessible communication during emerging controversies. This study offers a practical framework for evaluating and strengthening that capacity to improve accessibility of health information for pediatric families, especially during periods of widespread misinformation.
Figure 1. Timeline of Institutional Responses to the Acetaminophen–Autism Controversy.
Horizontal bars represent the number of days from September 22, 2025, to each institution’s first relevant Instagram post, indicated by the point. Point size indicates the total number of relevant posts published by each institution during the study period. State health departments are not depicted due to lack of posts during study period.
Figure 2. Prevalence of Content Quality and Accessibility Features in Relevant Instagram Posts (n = 26).
Percentages indicate the proportion of posts incorporating specific digital communication features, grouped by format, content framing, emotional tone, and accessibility.
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Administrative Gaps in Digital Patient Engagement: An Audit of Institutional Responsiveness to the 2025 Acetaminophen-Autism Controversy
Article Publication Date
2-Oct-2026
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