A recent New York Post article says that watching TikTok videos of people with Tourette syndrome can cause viewers to develop the condition themselves. The journalist cited two research papers published in scientific journals. However, she cherry-picked information from these papers in a way that was misleading and contradictory—her claim was false. But first, let’s go over what Tourette syndrome is.
This nervous system condition (which is sometimes abbreviated to TS) causes sudden unplanned movements and sounds known as tics. Think of them like hiccups. You don’t plan to hiccup—your body just does it. You can try to hold back a hiccup for a while, but after enough time you can’t keep it in anymore. Tics can be movements of the body, such as a nod of the head, or sounds such as humming or repeating a phrase. Tics are known to get worse during stress or excitement, but most people with TS have simple tics that rarely make tasks difficult.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many hospitals have reported a dramatic increase in referrals for Tourette syndrome. The New York Post article draws a comparison between this rise in referrals and the rise of TS content on TikTok, and claims that TikTok is causing more people to develop TS.
The rise in referrals doesn’t necessarily mean that more people are developing TS. It just means that more people are going to the doctor because they show symptoms. This doesn’t even mean that more people are being diagnosed with Tourette syndrome. It’s likely that some of these patients are diagnosed with other conditions that have similar symptoms. All that this rise in referrals means is that more people are reporting Tourette-like symptoms.
Maybe this is because more people are developing this genetic condition, but there are many other possible explanations. The rise of TS content on TikTok could be increasing public awareness for the condition and inspiring more people to seek a diagnosis. Since stress is known to make tics worse, COVID anxiety might make patients’ tics more noticeable. Someone might not pay attention to an occasional involuntary clearing of their throat, but if they start doing this often they might decide to see a doctor. This theory is supported by the study “COVID-19 Related Increase in Childhood Tics and Tic-like Attacks,” which the New York Post journalist cited (although she ignored this part of the paper). The researchers also suggest another explanation. Maybe people reporting tics consulted with multiple specialists for a variety of opinions. This would cause many reported referrals even though the actual number of people with symptoms would be smaller.
Now to address the question of whether or not TikTok is causing this increase of symptoms: the same paper mentioned earlier includes only one paragraph about the role of social media in the syndrome, and the researchers don’t draw any serious conclusions. They state that “there is some concern that social media… may have a part to play” and conclude that “the role of social media needs further exploration.” There was no definite declaration that TikTok causes Tourette syndrome, like the New York Post implies. And doctors are certainly not calling the increase of symptoms a pandemic, which the New York Post journalist claimed in her title: “TikTok is Giving Teen Girls Tourette-like Tics: Doctors Call it a ‘Pandemic’” (the article later contradicted itself, stating that “the event has not risen to epidemic levels yet, doctors have said”).
To summarize, referrals for Tourette syndrome have increased in the past year, but the cause is not known. It is unclear if more people developed TS or even if more people were diagnosed. Additionally, the New York Post greatly exaggerated doctors’ concerns about the effect of TikTok. There is much more evidence required to prove that watching TikTok videos can give you Tourette syndrome.
Sources
- https://www.wired.co.uk/article/tiktok-tourettes
- https://www.snopes.com/news/2021/10/20/teens-tics-tourettes-tiktok/
- https://nypost.com/2021/10/20/tiktok-is-giving-teen-girls-tourette-like-tics-doctors-say/
- https://movementdisorders.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/mdc3.13316
- https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/tourette/facts.html
- https://adc.bmj.com/content/106/5/420
