False information spread on social media is blamed for soaring teenage abortion rates, experts have warned.
Abortions among girls aged 15 to 17 have increased by a record 12 percent in just one year, following a dramatic drop in the number of girls using contraception, according to a new study.
Experts attribute the shocking increase — from 7,000 abortions in 2021 to nearly 7,800 in 2022 — to a social media trend in which influencers post misleading videos claiming contraception will cause serious health complications such as infertility , alopecia and breast cancer.
Since 2007, the number of girls aged 17 and under seeking emergency termination of pregnancy has steadily declined due, at least in part, to greater access to contraception, with hormonal emergency contraception being rolled out. free in many pharmacies.
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The latest figures, published this year by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, however, go against this trend.
Although the reasons for the record number of abortions among girls are not entirely clear, medical professionals have expressed serious concerns about the spread of misinformation on social media. These include videos showing young women talking about the pill and long-term contraception – the hormonal implant.
In some cases, women posting on these platforms claim that the implant causes cancer.
In other videos, it was claimed that the pill could make girls and women infertile.
One video, which received nearly 18,000 likes and more than 136,000 views, said: “Girls…the implant literally gave me thyroid cancer, so be careful.” »
Sexual and reproductive health services have also seen an alarming decline in the number of girls under 18 who regularly use an effective form of contraception.
Experts say this doesn’t mean fewer girls are having sex.
Dr Janet Barter, chair of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health, the UK’s leading healthcare advisory group, said: “It’s a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is good for young girls to think about which contraception is right for them before making a decision.
“But if you look at social media, you see extreme things that are clearly false, like that the pill will make you infertile. We know this is not the case.
She added: “We really need to do more work to talk about hormones in a more sensible way.
“What these girls deserve is a real conversation about the risks and benefits of all the different methods, and then being able to choose.”
Social media platforms all insist that they are doing everything in their power to remove misinformation, particularly when it is likely to directly contribute to the risk of harm.