Filed squarely in the category of ‘what could possibly go wrong,’ Gen Z is relying on TikTok for searches, complete with rampant misinformation.

Misinformation, ranging from annoying to life-threatening, is a major problem for social media and internet platforms. Unfortunately, that isn’t stopping Gen Z from turning to TikTok as a primary source for news and information, despite nearly 20% of its videos containing misinformation.

NewsGuard released its “Misinformation Monitor: September 2022” report, outlining the dangers of relying on TikTok for serious information.

A NewsGuard investigation found that TikTok’s users, who are predominantly teens and young adults, are consistently fed false and misleading claims when they search on TikTok for information about prominent news topics.

The NewsGuard investigation found that for a sampling of searches on prominent news topics, almost 20 percent of the videos presented as search results contained misinformation. This means that for searches on topics ranging from the Russian invasion of Ukraine to school shootings and COVID vaccines, TikTok’s users are consistently fed false and misleading claims.

The news is especially disturbing when considering the wide-ranging topics young people are turning to TikTok for. In August, reports showed many young people are even turning to the platform for financial advice rather than traditional sources.

When asked for a comment, TikTok told NewsGuard that the company’s Community Guidelines “make clear that we do not allow harmful misinformation, including medical misinformation, and we will remove it from the platform. We partner with credible voices to elevate authoritative content on topics related to public health, and partner with independent fact-checkers who help us to assess the accuracy of content.”

NewsGuard’s full report is well worth a read and adds to the troubles plaguing the beleaguered social media platform. The company has been caught in one privacy scandal after another, and its executives are currently answering to Congress regarding apparent misleading statements and actions regarding how US user data is handled.

After assuring Congress that US user data was handled by a US security team, leaked meeting recordings showed the data was frequently handled by company employees in China. TikTok now refuses to commit to keeping US user data out of China.