CleftTok: An Analysis of Cleft-Related Content on TikTok

Objective To analyze the content and sources of TikTok posts regarding cleft conditions; to examine the quality and reliability of educational content related to cleft conditions.Design Cross-sectional, observational study of cleft-related TikTok content.Setting N/AParticipants N/AInterventions N/A Main Outcome Measure(s) Frequencies of TikTok post likes, views, comments, shares, and saves; engagement rate; post themes; and post educational content accuracy, quality, and reliability (assessed with the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool and modified DISCERN [mDISCERN] rating scales).Results A total of 252 cleft-related TikTok posts were reviewed. Most posts were created by family members of patients (n = 193, 76.59%), while posts from plastic surgeons were underrepresented (n = 11, 4.37%). Positive Messages were the most common video theme (n = 80; 31.75%), and 24 (9.52%) of the TikTok posts were classified as providing educational content. Plastic surgeons had the highest mDISCERN score (2.75) among all content creator categories, indicating more accurate and reliable educational content. When content creator categories were stratified by physician versus nonphysician creators, physician posts had significantly higher mDISCERN scores (P = .001). Despite objectively better educational content, plastic surgeons had the lowest engagement rate (1.82%), while family members had the highest engagement rate (7.04%).Conclusions Cleft teams should anticipate that patients and their caregivers will most likely access social media to learn more about cleft conditions and seek support. Patients and caregivers should be urged to stay cautious of the information they find online and ideally be offered reputable sources of information and support.