Analysis of content, quality, and reliability of melanoma-related Chinese videos on TikTok: A cross-sectional study

Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer, with a rising incidence worldwide. Social media platforms such as TikTok are increasingly serving as important channels for health information dissemination, yet the quality and reliability of melanoma-related content remain unclear. This study evaluated the characteristics, content distribution, quality, and reliability of Chinese-language melanoma-related short videos on TikTok. From August 7 to 10, 2025, 113 melanoma-related videos were collected. Video characteristics were recorded, and the global quality score and modified DISCERN (mDISCERN) tool were used for evaluation. The videos were generally short (median: 58.00 seconds) and had high engagement. Most content focused on risk factors, clinical manifestations, and treatment, with limited coverage of prevention and recurrence. Overall quality and reliability were low, with median global quality score and mDISCERN scores of 2.00 (interquartile range: 2.00-2.00). Significant differences in quality were observed among uploader types, with dermatologists producing the highest-quality content. No significant correlation was found between engagement metrics and quality. The quality and reliability of melanoma-related videos on TikTok are suboptimal. This study provides empirical evidence on the current status of melanoma health information in the social media environment and offers a reference for optimizing digital health communication strategies. Future efforts should enhance the comprehensiveness and scientific rigor of health content, increase the participation of healthcare professionals, and establish platform-level quality control mechanisms to ensure the accuracy and reliability of health information.