No single dataset tracks all platforms longitudinally. This chart represents a synthesised directional index. UTA's Phase 0 activity is to commission the baseline measurement that would replace this with live data.

Topic Risk Distribution

Directional

Indicative topic share, directional only. Derived from the reviews below.

High-Risk Categories

Source-Backed

Category	Prevalence	Primary Channel	Harm	UK Relevance	Public-health harm	Outrage load	Spread mechanism	Key Evidence
Vaccines	Up to 51%	Twitter/X	High	High	High	Outrage-driven	Identity / moral	Up to 51% of vaccine posts contain misinfo (WHO 2022). 811 measles cases in England since Jan 2025.
Cancer Treatment	30–80%	Facebook	High	High	High	Fear-driven	Accuracy-responsive	30–80% of cancer social posts contain misinfo (JNCI 2021). 56% of patients exposed; 71% believed content (JMIR Cancer 2023).
Mental Health	up to 56.9%	TikTok	High	High	High	Outrage-driven	Identity / moral	Systematic review of 27 studies (5,057 posts): misinformation prevalence 0–56.9%, higher on TikTok than YouTube; neurodivergence content worse than other mental-health topics (Carter et al., 2026).
Drugs/Substances	Tier 2	Telegram	High	Medium	High	Fear-driven	Accuracy-responsive	Misinfo disproportionately targets harm reduction advice; WHO infodemic framework identifies substance misinfo as Tier 2 risk.
Nutrition & Diet	High volume	TikTok / Instagram	Medium	Medium	Medium	Outrage-driven	Identity / moral	High volume, medium direct harm. TikTok and Instagram primary channels. No single UK prevalence study; Ofcom 2024 identifies as common misinfo category encountered by UK adults.
Antibiotic Resistance (AMR)	19.3%	Twitter/X	High	High	High	Curiosity / Uncertainty	Accuracy-responsive	19.3% of AMR social posts are misinfo; spreads 2.4× faster than factual content. Misinfo intensity precedes resistance trends by 6–9 months (PubMed cross-platform study, 2025).
Reproductive Health	Data gap	TikTok / Instagram	Medium	Medium	Medium	Outrage-driven	Identity / moral	TikTok and Instagram primary channels. High engagement among 18–34 demographic. Limited UK-specific prevalence data — identified as gap by JMIR 2024 scoping review.
Chronic Disease	Susceptible	Facebook	Medium	Medium	Medium	Neutral	Accuracy-responsive	Facebook groups primary channel. Moderate harm potential. WHO systematic review identifies chronic disease self-management as susceptible category.

Vaccines
Up to 51%·Twitter/XHighPublic-health harm: highOutrage-drivenIdentity / moral
Up to 51% of vaccine posts contain misinfo (WHO 2022). 811 measles cases in England since Jan 2025.
UK: High
Cancer Treatment
30–80%·FacebookHighPublic-health harm: highFear-drivenAccuracy-responsive
30–80% of cancer social posts contain misinfo (JNCI 2021). 56% of patients exposed; 71% believed content (JMIR Cancer 2023).
UK: High
Mental Health
up to 56.9%·TikTokHighPublic-health harm: highOutrage-drivenIdentity / moral
Systematic review of 27 studies (5,057 posts): misinformation prevalence 0–56.9%, higher on TikTok than YouTube; neurodivergence content worse than other mental-health topics (Carter et al., 2026).
UK: High
Drugs/Substances
Tier 2·TelegramHighPublic-health harm: highFear-drivenAccuracy-responsive
Misinfo disproportionately targets harm reduction advice; WHO infodemic framework identifies substance misinfo as Tier 2 risk.
UK: Medium
Nutrition & Diet
High volume·TikTok / InstagramMediumPublic-health harm: mediumOutrage-drivenIdentity / moral
High volume, medium direct harm. TikTok and Instagram primary channels. No single UK prevalence study; Ofcom 2024 identifies as common misinfo category encountered by UK adults.
UK: Medium
Antibiotic Resistance (AMR)
19.3%·Twitter/XHighPublic-health harm: highCuriosity / UncertaintyAccuracy-responsive
19.3% of AMR social posts are misinfo; spreads 2.4× faster than factual content. Misinfo intensity precedes resistance trends by 6–9 months (PubMed cross-platform study, 2025).
UK: High
Reproductive Health
Data gap·TikTok / InstagramMediumPublic-health harm: mediumOutrage-drivenIdentity / moral
TikTok and Instagram primary channels. High engagement among 18–34 demographic. Limited UK-specific prevalence data — identified as gap by JMIR 2024 scoping review.
UK: Medium
Chronic Disease
Susceptible·FacebookMediumPublic-health harm: mediumNeutralAccuracy-responsive
Facebook groups primary channel. Moderate harm potential. WHO systematic review identifies chronic disease self-management as susceptible category.
UK: Medium