For many teenagers, social media app, TikTok has become a classroom on subjects their schools or families may not cover in time. Sexual health is one of them, but a new study presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) annual conference shows that relying on the app can be risky. Too many popular videos contain inaccurate or misleading advice.

Researchers tested the platform by setting up a profile to mirror a 15-year-old’s experience, then searched for ten common sexual and reproductive health terms. They found that 21.4% of videos from non-medical creators were inaccurate, compared with only 3.4% from trained medical professionals. Abortion-related searches carried the highest rate of false claims, with 26.7% of videos containing errors.

For families, this raises a clear challenge. Teens may believe what looks popular or relatable online, even when the information is wrong. As lead author of the AAP study Angeli Sirilan explained: “With major variation in school-based health classes, young people often turn to online platforms like TikTok for answers. This highlights the urgent need for educators, parents, and public health leaders to improve both sexual and reproductive health education and social media literacy.”

Parents need not ban TikTok altogether. Instead, the findings suggest that families benefit most from open and ongoing conversations. Ask your teen: Who made the video? Is it a doctor or a peer? Does the advice line up with what a trusted clinician or resource says?

By making these checks part of family dialogue, young people learn to approach content with a critical eye. The AAP also recommends that clinicians point families to reliable sources, while urging platforms such as TikTok to improve how health information is vetted.

Framing discussions with curiosity rather than judgment can help young people feel safe to share and ask questions.

Inaccurate advice online can lead to harmful decisions in real life. Families that pair open conversations with fact-checking skills empower their teens to navigate social media wisely, keeping both trust and safety at the heart of learning.