Doctors are warning of the risks associated with young people turning to social media for health advice. A growing number of young individuals are seeking health information on platforms like Instagram and Facebook, often relying on influencers for medical guidance.

Local Concerns

In Florida, students like Jasmine Frazier are turning to social media for health advice due to limited access to healthcare. Frazier, a junior at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, admitted that she often seeks health advice online.

Dr. Carlos Victorica, a family medicine physician at Baptist Health, emphasized the importance of verifying online information. “There’s always a risk when taking advice you see online because you don’t really know what the source is, and you don’t really know where the information is coming from,” he said.

Victorica warned that social media health tips often fail to account for individual factors like body type and medical history, which can lead to harmful outcomes. He stressed the need for local physicians to bridge the gap between patients and reliable medical advice.

Original reporting: WPBF West Palm Beach — read the source article.