Background The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping language education, with AI-assisted language learning (AILL) offering new opportunities for personalised support and in...

Background Social media has an influence on public health communication. There are growing concerns about digital health literacy, and how younger adults find good-quality health information online, and their ability to use and appraise it. Objective To test a digital health literacy intervention addressing critical appraisal of online health information for younger adults focused on three core elements: Who said it? When did they say it? Why did they say it? Design Participants were randomised to receive the intervention via one of three formats: (1) a short-animated video, (2) a TikTok-style short video, (3) literacy-sensitive written text, or (4) a control group. The primary outcomes were critical digital health literacy (critical DHL) and engagement. The secondary outcomes were digital health literacy (DHL) measured by eHEALS, acceptability, personal relevance, intentions to share and novelty. Participants Participants aged 18–39 were recruited via an online social research panel. Key Results The sample (n = 2124) included 54% women; 50% had no university qualifications and 30% reported inadequate health literacy. The critical DHL mean score was significantly higher across intervention arms compared to control: control 8.5 out of 19 (SD4.7); text 11.0 (SD4.5); animation 10.9 (SD4.6); TikTok 10.4 (SD4.7) (p < 0.001). Engagement showed no significant differences across arms. All intervention arms increased eHEALS scores compared to control (p < 0.001). Acceptability and intention to share were high across all interventions (scored > 16/21 and > 3/5, respectively). Text scored highest on personal relevance (p = 0.003) and animation scored highest in novelty (p = 0.054) compared to TikTok. There was an interaction effect with gender with TikTok and text intervention arms showing a greater impact on men than women compared to control (p = 0.010). Conclusions Brief, scalable social media–style interventions can support critical health literacy skills in younger people. Further research is needed to understand how different formats perform in real-world social media environments. Trial Registration Prospectively registered with Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: trial number ACTRN12623001229662, trial registration date: 29/11/2023.

Croakey Health Media has launched an innovative concept to embed health journalism in research projects, reports Leanne Wells. "Embedding health

Background Social media has an influence on public health communication. There are growing concerns about digital health literacy, and how younger adults find good-quality health information online, and their ability to use and appraise it. Objective To test a digital health literacy intervention addressing critical appraisal of online health information for younger adults focused on three core elements: Who said it? When did they say it? Why did they say it? Design Participants were randomised to receive the intervention via one of three formats: (1) a short-animated video, (2) a TikTok-style short video, (3) literacy-sensitive written text, or (4) a control group. The primary outcomes were critical digital health literacy (critical DHL) and engagement. The secondary outcomes were digital health literacy (DHL) measured by eHEALS, acceptability, personal relevance, intentions to share and novelty. Participants Participants aged 18–39 were recruited via an online social research panel. Key Results The sample (n = 2124) included 54% women; 50% had no university qualifications and 30% reported inadequate health literacy. The critical DHL mean score was significantly higher across intervention arms compared to control: control 8.5 out of 19 (SD4.7); text 11.0 (SD4.5); animation 10.9 (SD4.6); TikTok 10.4 (SD4.7) (p < 0.001). Engagement showed no significant differences across arms. All intervention arms increased eHEALS scores compared to control (p < 0.001). Acceptability and intention to share were high across all interventions (scored > 16/21 and > 3/5, respectively). Text scored highest on personal relevance (p = 0.003) and animation scored highest in novelty (p = 0.054) compared to TikTok. There was an interaction effect with gender with TikTok and text intervention arms showing a greater impact on men than women compared to control (p = 0.010). Conclusions Brief, scalable social media–style interventions can support critical health literacy skills in younger people. Further research is needed to understand how different formats perform in real-world social media environments. Trial Registration Prospectively registered with Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: trial number ACTRN12623001229662, trial registration date: 29/11/2023.

Dementia is now the leading cause of death, overtaking heart disease. The Conversation’s experts explain how Australians’ health has changed – both good and bad.

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Background Social media has an influence on public health communication. There are growing concerns about digital health literacy, and how younger adults find good-quality health information online, a...

Experts warn of ‘over-diagnosis’ dangers as social media prompts the worried well to seek out unnecessary and expensive scans and blood tests * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Medical tests are marketed on social media as a way to empower people to take control of their health, but experts are warning to be wary of the harms influencers don’t mention. Three controversial tests – full-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, blood tests for testosterone levels and the Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) or “egg-timer” test, which surveys a woman’s egg count – are the focus of a campaign backed by the University of Sydney based on its own research trying to combat misinformation online. Continue reading...

Experts warn of ‘over-diagnosis’ dangers as social media prompts the worried well to seek out unnecessary and expensive scans and blood tests

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 15, 2026 — Today, we’re excited to launch a new version of Communalytic, a leading platform for analyzing online communities and public discourse on social media. Designed ...

In 2024 the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) revised its breast cancer screening (BCS) guidelines to recommend that all women scr…

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Social media platforms play a central role in shaping today’s information ecosystem, yet access to both their internal data and even publicly visible content remains tightly restricted for academic re...

<div>Supporting Scientific Research to Protect What Matters</div>

Abstract. The increased pressures associated with the cost-of-living crisis (CoLC) have been demonstrated to impact population health. Research has shown t

Publishes papers on major themes and innovations in the health promotion field. The journal publishes contributions from sectors beyond health, and seeks to promote theoretical, methodological, and ac...

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The Social Media Research Toolkit is a curated collection of more than 50 tools compiled by researchers at the Social Media Lab.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the role of social media for official health communication, especially for young people who rarely engage with other public health agency channels. This study expl...

Effective science translation is essential during public health emergencies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, rapidly evolving research had to be transla…

Effective science translation is essential during public health emergencies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, rapidly evolving research had to be transla…

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the role of social media for official health communication, especially for young people who rarely engage with other public health agency channels. This study expl...