A study of 53 TikTok videos about prenatal acetaminophen and autism, posted from September through November 2025, found that videos classified as misinformation made up 28.3% of the sample but accounted for 52.4% of its 28.13 million views. The findings describe those analyzed videos, not TikTok as a whole.
What the TikTok study examined
Researchers classified the videos as evidence-consistent, misinformation, or mixed or uncertain. Of the 53 videos, 52.8% were evidence-consistent, 28.3% were classified as misinformation, and 18.9% were mixed or uncertain. Two reviewers coded the videos independently; their agreement on misinformation classification was substantial (Cohen’s κ = 0.86).
Misinformation videos drew a larger share of sample views
The view share and video share use different denominators: 28.3% refers to the 53 videos, while 52.4% refers to the sample’s combined views.
| Measure | Share | Denominator |
| Videos classified as misinformation | 28.3% | 53 analyzed videos |
| Views on videos classified as misinformation | 52.4% | 28.13 million combined views |
One misinformation video received 10.3 million views, or 36.6% of all views across the sample. Misinformation videos also had a lower mean Global Quality Scale score than evidence-consistent videos: 1.73 compared with 4.18 (P < .001).
Within this sample, influencers accounted for 73.3% of videos classified as misinformation, while videos by health professionals were all classified as evidence-consistent. In adjusted analysis, creator type was not independently significant; lower educational quality and conspiracy framing were independently associated with misinformation. Conspiracy framing appeared in 46.7% of misinformation videos, and pharmaceutical distrust in 53.3%.
What the study says about TikTok’s algorithm
The researchers interpreted the larger share of views as algorithmic amplification. The study was a cross-sectional analysis of video content and engagement, however, and did not establish that TikTok’s recommendation system caused the difference in reach.
The FDA’s earlier statement on acetaminophen
On September 22, 2025, the FDA said it had initiated a process to change acetaminophen labeling based on evidence suggesting a possible association between use during pregnancy and neurological conditions, including autism and ADHD. The agency also said a causal relationship had not been established and noted that scientific studies included contrary findings.
