Are News Media Organizations Protecting Youth Mental Health? A Content Analysis of the Top 4 U.S. News Organizations in the on TikTok

In 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory to address the youth mental health crisis that included actions media organizations could take regarding their coverage of mental illness and traumatic events including natural disasters, pandemics, and mass violence. Although research indicates that both news and social media are associated with worse adolescent mental health outcomes, it is unknown whether news outlets adhere to the U.S. Surgeon Generals recommendations on social media. This study aimed to describe how news media organizations adhered to federal recommendations in their reporting of mental health or illness and collective trauma events on the TikTok social media platform. We conducted a directed content analysis of TikTok videos posted by four leading U.S. news organizations from December 2021 to December 2022 Videos covering relevant topics were coded based on their adherence to advisory guidelines. Of 5,344 TikTok videos posted during the timeframe, 950 (17.8%) covered news related to mental health or illness, climate change or weather-related disasters, mass shootings, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Content had a median adherence rate of 19.5% (range: 0.0-83.9%); however, substantial variability was observed across guidelines, news organizations, and topics. The two recommendations with the highest adherence rate were "fact-based reporting" and "no language that shocks, provokes, or creates a sense of panic" (40.0-76.1%). The recommendations with the lowest adherence rate (0.0-8.0%) were "include ways the public can make a positive difference" and "include content warnings on distressing content." Findings can inform news media efforts to develop content that protects youth mental health and interventions that support youth news consumption on social media. Author SummaryYoung people across the United States (U.S.) turn to social media for news about current events. Unfortunately, many social media posts from news media organizations amplify distressing events, and seeing this content has negative consequences for youth mental health. Recognizing the potential ways in which social media can affect youth mental health, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory to address the youth mental health crisis that included actions news media organizations could take when sharing content of mental illness and traumatic events. Here, we use content analysis methods to analyze whether news media organizations followed the federal recommendations when covering mental illness and collective trauma events on TikTok. Content that covered these topics had a median adherence rate to the Surgeon General recommendations of 19.5% (range: 0.0-83.9%); however, substantial variability was observed across guidelines, news organizations, and topics. Our study offers new insights public health leaders can use to inform efforts to promote media content that protects youth mental health.