Social Media to Promote Treatment Adherence Among Adolescents and Young Adults With Chronic Health Conditions: A Topical Review and TikTok Application

Objective: Social media is a large facet of contemporary culture, particularly for adolescents and young adults (AYAs). Likewise, digital health interventions have proliferated. Yet understanding of how social media can be leveraged to deliver empirically informed adherence interventions is more limited. This topical review provides a synthesis of literature related to improving AYA treatment adherence through social media approaches. To illustrate a clinical application, we describe an initiative that codeveloped and codisseminated adherence education with AYAs with cancer via TikTok. Methods: Literature searches were conducted on databases including PubMed and PsycINFO, using keywords such as adolescents or young adults; social media; and adherence, self-management, or health. Adherence TikTok videos were developed through user-centered design approaches with AYAs with cancer and clinicians/staff. Results: Results from the review suggested that AYAs use social media to research general health information and obtain support. Research-derived adherence-promotion interventions with social-media-like features appear to be acceptable, and some have led to improvements in adherence. Our process of translating empirically informed adherence education to TikTok was rapid and low cost and obtained 30,797 views. Conclusions: Social media has great promise for advancing the uptake and reach of evidence-based adherence care for AYAs. We highlight opportunities for advancing current clinical practices and future research in this area, including forming clinical partnerships with AYAs to disseminate credible adherence content via the social media platforms that are already part of their daily technology use. Implications for Impact Statement This topical review found that AYAs currently use social media for health purposes-with or without expert input-and adherence-promotion interventions that incorporate social media features have been acceptable to AYAs. We highlight the potential for and one application of leveraging commercial social media (e.g., TikTok) to deliver engaging and credible adherence information with substantial reach.