“This Is Why I Think Birth Control Is Going to Be Our Generation’s Smoking:” A Thematic Content Analysis Exploring anti-Hormonal Contraception Sentiment on Tiktok

Zoe Pleasure, University Of Washington
Brooke Whitfield, Population Research Center - University of Texas At Austin
Elizabeth Pleasants, Center for Women’s Health Research, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Evageline Norrell, University of California, Berkeley
Cambray Smith, Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Cassandra Fallon, University of South Carolina
Emma Anderson, University of California, Berkeley
Laura Lindberg, Department of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers University School of Public Health

Objective: To describe the thematic content of anti-hormonal contraception TikTok videos to understand how these videos might affect contraceptive decision-making. Background: Hormonophobia, or excessive fear of the impact of hormones on the body, may be bolstered by contraception content shared on social media. TikTok is a platform through which narratives related to anti-hormonal contraception may be spreading particularly widely. The lack of holistic research on anti-hormonal sentiment on TikTok may hinder understanding how these online social influences broadly impact demographic patterns. Methods: We used Apify to identify relevant TikToks. With the guidance of a youth advisory committee, we performed a thematic content analysis to describe common themes and imagery used in videos with anti-hormonal contraception sentiment. Preliminary results: The most prevalent theme is distrust and dislike of hormones due to the side effects individuals attribute to hormonal contraception.

Keywords: Family Planning and Contraception, Children, Adolescents, and Youth, Qualitative data/methods/approaches, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

See extended abstract.