[Jan Fisher]

Well this is embarrassing. We like to think we are a nation of cynics, but maybe not when it comes to our health.

Australians are leading the world in trusting TikTok as a reliable source of diet and wellness. C’mon Australia, get it together.

Researchers from Dublin City University Business School teamed up with food and nutrition app MyFitnessPal and people from the US, Canada, the UK and Australia and found Aussies the most trusting.

The researchers found that nine out of 10 Australians have taken nutrition advice from the social media platform more than once. Over all two in five Australians “trust” the social media platform for nutrition and wellness advice.

This compares to 39 per cent of people in the UK, 35 per cent in the US and 25 per cent in Canada.

What’s wrong with us? Why are we believing a bunch of people with cameras over medical professionals?

I, for one, am ashamed. Apart from anything, as part of the study, the university analysed about 67,000 videos and found just 2.1 per cent provided accurate information compared to official guidelines.

Smarten up Australia and put the phone down.

Have you ever taken health advice from a social media platform?

[Author]

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