TikTok Videos About Abortion and Users’ Abortion-Related Beliefs

Social media platforms, such as TikTok, offer an avenue by which users can post brief or extended videos about health topics, such as abortion. In a pair of studies, we examined TikTok videos about abortion and users' abortion-related beliefs. In Study 1, a content analysis of TikTok videos (<i>N</i> = 397) found that the beliefs most frequently conveyed include abortion being a right, being a choice for individuals rather than lawmakers, and being healthcare and abortion bans being dangerous for women and harming sexual assault victims. Additionally, several beliefs co-occurred in these videos, such as abortion being a right and abortion being an individual choice. In Study 2, a survey of adults across the United States (<i>N</i> = 578) found that greater use of TikTok was associated with greater endorsement of some of the most frequently conveyed beliefs from Study 1 as well as stronger connections among beliefs in a manner consistent with the co-occurring themes identified in Study 1. These findings offer some preliminary evidence that TikTok use impacts users' abortion-related beliefs.