Scrolling Through Risk

Social media has become an important component of medical education, offering flexible access to academic resources while simultaneously increasing students’ exposure to health-related misinformation. This descriptive cross-sectional study examined social media use patterns, misinformation awareness, and information verification strategies among 347 medical students from one public and one private institution in Punjab, India. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire and analyzed through descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM). YouTube and WhatsApp emerged as the most frequently used platforms for academic purposes. No significant associations were observed between demographic variables, including gender, age group, academic year and qualification level, and frequency of academic social media use. Senior students demonstrated significantly greater ability to recognize misinformation compared to junior students. SEM revealed a strong positive relationship between academic social media use and information verification strategies, and a moderate association between misinformation awareness and verification behavior. These findings highlight a clear gap between students’ awareness of misinformation and their consistent application of verification practices. The study underscores the urgent need for curriculum-integrated digital literacy training, institutional guidelines, and structured awareness programs to promote responsible, evidence-based engagement with social media in medical education.