Leading medical and public health societies endorse comprehensive sex education, but only 20 states and Washington, D.C., currently require information about contraception when sex education is taught, and even fewer require the inclusion of topics such as gender diversity or consent. At the same time, social media use, especially the video-sharing app TikTok, is increasing among teens. TikTok, therefore, offers a novel opportunity to make up for shortcomings in sex education and convey sexual health information to adolescents. To describe the availability and content of sexual education on TikTok, we conducted a content analysis of themes for 100 sex education–focused videos. We found that female anatomy was the most frequently addressed topic. Sexual pleasure was the second most common theme, within which discussions of the female orgasm and arousal constituted the most common subtheme. Other common themes include contraception and sexual health. These sought-after topics may be incongruent with those presented in standard school- or home-based sex education or interactions with health care providers, and this disconnect suggests opportunities for health care providers and educators to initiate conversations or offer resources on these themes as part of routine interaction. We conclude with recommendations for future research to consider the factual accuracy of sex education on TikTok and determine how exposure to this content affects adolescents’ understanding of the risks and benefits of intercourse, sexual practices, age- and gender-based sexual norms, and other health behaviors.
Over 100 million women track their menstruation using mobile applications (apps). In addition to comparatively unremarkable personal information such as height and weight, these apps collect intimate data like characteristics of vaginal discharge and cervical position. In exchange, many apps claim to predict the timing and duration of menstruation and windows of fertility. From this information, users may modify their sexual behavior based on their reproductive intentions. Though these apps are popular, news reports and prior studies reveal that user expectations about privacy and accuracy often do not align with the content of terms of service and privacy policies. In this article, we analyzed the readability and accessibility of terms of service and privacy policies for 15 popular menstruation-tracking apps. We found that information about data-sharing practices and accuracy is often neither easily accessible nor understandable. As a result, terms of service and privacy policies likely obscure material information about privacy and accuracy, posing safety and reproductive health risks to users. To date, no regulatory body oversees or approves the vast majority of menstruation trackers, leaving the market open to apps that vary widely in quality, accuracy, and levels of protection. We encourage health care professionals to ask their patients and clients about app use and understanding, encourage them to review relevant app-specific information, and discourage use as contraception when indicated. We conclude with recommendations for future research to establish the appropriate standards of disclosure that should govern these and similar types of smartphone-based consumer health technologies.
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