Facebook fired its fact-checkers. Is TikTok our unexpected hope?

Vaccines make you magnetic. Stuffing garlic into your nostrils cures COVID-19. Disgraced rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs lit the Los Angeles fires to conceal his alleged crimes and, also, sunscreen is bad for you.

These are some of the viral falsehoods TikTok aims to quarantine from a new section of the app dedicated to fact-checked science content called the “STEM feed”.

Dr Kirsten Banks, a lecturer in astrophysics at Swinburne University, started her science communication career as a tour guide at the Sydney Observatory and now educates millions on TikTok.Credit: Wolter Peeters

As Facebook dumps fact-checking in the US, the launch of the STEM feed in Australia was welcomed by some experts, although others doubt it’s enough to repel anti-expert rhetoric on the app.

“I’m all for it – battling misinformation is a constant uphill battle for science communicators,” Dr Kirsten Banks, a Sydney astrophysicist who’s built a 420,000-strong following on TikTok, said.

“It is annoying when I see videos that are saying, ‘Oh, NASA found evidence of parallel universes!’ I’m like, ‘No, no they didn’t.’”

Banks will feature on the feed when it launches on Wednesday alongside ABC science guru Dr Karl, the Australian Museum and the NSW Rural Fire Service.

The RFS’s involvement comes as fact-checkers race to hose down conspiracy theories backed by X owner Elon Musk about the LA fire disaster, including that the city fire department’s diversity programs have contributed to civilian deaths.

Recent videos posted to TikTok have also foisted dangerous “tanning and burning culture”, where users seek out high UV rays despite decades of warnings about melanoma risk.

“The ability to use ‘popular sounds’ on TikTok has seemingly spurred the trend on, with users lip-syncing to a clip stating ‘I mean, I’d rather die hot than live ugly’ whilst showing off their tan lines,” Swinburne University social media researcher Lauren Miller said.

“TikTok in particular is suited for spreading misinformation, as it serves up content algorithmically rather than the intentional ‘following’ model that platforms like Instagram use,” she said, adding users were spreading anti-sunscreen rhetoric by commenting on posts by medical professionals and dermatologists.

“While the STEM feed initiative is laudable, it is unlikely to reach the people who have already fostered a mistrust of science-backed institutions.”

A spokesperson for TikTok said strict community guidelines aimed at combating harmful misinformation is applied to all content, including comments. The app removed 1.3 million videos that violated guidelines in Australia between July and September last year, according to its latest enforcement report.

“In the markets where the STEM feed is already available, one in three young people visit the feed on a weekly basis,” the spokesperson said. “In addition, STEM content has grown by 35 per cent on TikTok.”

Independent fact-checking organisation Common Sense Networks assesses whether videos are appropriate for the STEM feed and non-profit media institute Poynter cross-checks the facts. That process takes about two weeks, TikTok said. Promotional or sponsored content is banned from the feed.

“The algorithm’s about popularity and engagement, not about accuracy,” science communication expert Michelle Riedlinger, an associate professor from the Queensland University of Technology, said.

“Promoting good content is really important to have alongside independent fact-checking.”

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