TUESDAY, June 23, 2026 (HealthDay News) — The majority of sunscreen-related content on TikTok promotes the use of sunscreen, according to a study published online June 18, 2026.PLOS Digital Health.
Alessandro Marcone, of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and colleagues examined the presence, engagement rate, and characteristics of sunscreen-related misinformation on TikTok. The analysis included the 971 most viewed TikTok videos on the five most popular and relevant hashtags related to sunscreen (#sunscreen, #sunscreenviral, #spf, #sunscreenreview, and #sunprotection).
The researchers found that most of the videos promoted the use of sunscreen (86.8 percent), most commonly to prevent skin damage (17.4 percent), acne (15.3 percent), aging (11.5 percent), and cancer (6.1 percent). Very few videos contained criticisms (6.0 percent), and even fewer discussed the dangers of sunscreen (1.5 percent) or avoided health benefits (1.2 percent). Although similar in terms of viewership, TikToks with criticism showed greater engagement in likes, shares, and comments than those with only ads.
The authors write, “sunscreen misinformation on TikTok is not the result of a general influence on content generation, but rather the extent to which certain false ideas about sun protection resonated with specific audiences.”
