Loading live headlines…

Channel Analysis

Per-platform misinformation volume, demographic exposure, format dynamics and moderation posture — UK focus where data exists. Every figure is linked to a named, dated source.

Source-Backed

Platform Comparison — UK

Source-Backed

Platform	UK Reach	Top Topics	Documented Prevalence	Spread Signal	Moderation	Harm
Twitter / X	~23.2M MAU¹	Vaccines, AMR, political health	51% vaccine posts; 19.3% AMR posts^3,5	False news 6× faster; AMR 2.4× faster^4,5	Community Notes only (since 2023)	High
TikTok	~24M MAU¹	Mental health, autism, nutrition, repro	Review of 27 studies: misinformation 0–56.9%, higher on TikTok than YouTube; 1-in-5 health videos contain misinfo^6,7	Algorithmic FYP amplification; short-form virality⁷	Algorithmic + human review	High
YouTube	92% of UK adults²	Cancer, COVID, diabetes, chronic disease	Review of 18 studies: misleading, largely anecdotal content contradicts reference standards⁸	Retrieval depends on the search term used; lay users likely to encounter it⁸	Algorithmic + medical-misinfo policy	Medium
Facebook	~37M MAU¹	Cancer, chronic disease, anti-vax groups	30–80% of cancer-related posts contain misinfo^9,10	Group-driven; older demographic; high belief rate¹⁰	Algorithmic + third-party fact-checkers	High
Instagram	~33M MAU¹	Nutrition, reproductive health, wellness	Data gap — flagged by JMIR scoping review⁷	Influencer-driven; Reels amplification⁷	Algorithmic + third-party fact-checkers	Medium
Telegram	~15% UK adults 16+¹	Substance use, anti-vax, fringe health	WHO Tier-2 substance-misinfo channel¹¹	Encrypted channels; no public visibility data¹¹	None public	High
Reddit	~22% of UK adults²	Mental health, fitness, supplements	Lower density vs Twitter (mixed evidence)¹²	Community voting; volunteer moderation¹²	Volunteer moderators per subreddit	Medium

Twitter / XHigh
Reach
~23.2M MAU¹
Topics
Vaccines, AMR, political health
Prevalence
51% vaccine posts; 19.3% AMR posts^3,5
Spread
False news 6× faster; AMR 2.4× faster^4,5
Moderation
Community Notes only (since 2023)
TikTokHigh
Reach
~24M MAU¹
Topics
Mental health, autism, nutrition, repro
Prevalence
Review of 27 studies: misinformation 0–56.9%, higher on TikTok than YouTube; 1-in-5 health videos contain misinfo^6,7
Spread
Algorithmic FYP amplification; short-form virality⁷
Moderation
Algorithmic + human review
YouTubeMedium
Reach
92% of UK adults²
Topics
Cancer, COVID, diabetes, chronic disease
Prevalence
Review of 18 studies: misleading, largely anecdotal content contradicts reference standards⁸
Spread
Retrieval depends on the search term used; lay users likely to encounter it⁸
Moderation
Algorithmic + medical-misinfo policy
FacebookHigh
Reach
~37M MAU¹
Topics
Cancer, chronic disease, anti-vax groups
Prevalence
30–80% of cancer-related posts contain misinfo^9,10
Spread
Group-driven; older demographic; high belief rate¹⁰
Moderation
Algorithmic + third-party fact-checkers
InstagramMedium
Reach
~33M MAU¹
Topics
Nutrition, reproductive health, wellness
Prevalence
Data gap — flagged by JMIR scoping review⁷
Spread
Influencer-driven; Reels amplification⁷
Moderation
Algorithmic + third-party fact-checkers
TelegramHigh
Reach
~15% UK adults 16+¹
Topics
Substance use, anti-vax, fringe health
Prevalence
WHO Tier-2 substance-misinfo channel¹¹
Spread
Encrypted channels; no public visibility data¹¹
Moderation
None public
RedditMedium
Reach
~22% of UK adults²
Topics
Mental health, fitness, supplements
Prevalence
Lower density vs Twitter (mixed evidence)¹²
Spread
Community voting; volunteer moderation¹²
Moderation
Volunteer moderators per subreddit

Twitter / X

Source-Backed

~23.2M UK MAU

51%³

vaccine posts contain misinfo

6×⁴

faster spread of false news vs true

19.3%⁵

AMR posts misinfo (2.4× faster)

Highest documented spread velocity of any platform. Moderation reduced to Community Notes since 2023.

Sources:[1] Ofcom [3] Piltch-Loeb et al.[4] Vosoughi, Roy & Aral [5] Cross-platform AMR misinformation study (PubMed)

TikTok

Source-Backed

~24M UK MAU

0–56.9%⁶

misinformation across 27 reviewed studies

5,057⁶

social posts analysed in the review

1-in-5⁷

health videos contain misinfo

Short-form video + FYP algorithm drives rapid amplification among 16–24 demographic.

Sources:[1] Ofcom [6] Carter et al.[7] JMIR

YouTube

Source-Backed

92% UK adults reached

18⁸

peer-reviewed studies reviewed

Anecdotal⁸

misleading content contradicts reference standards

Gov & professional bodies⁸

most trustworthy video sources

Findings depend on the search term used. Review warns of unapproved therapies being promoted and potential belief change on topics such as vaccination.

Sources:[2] Ofcom [8] Madathil et al.

Facebook

Source-Backed

~37M UK MAU

30–80%⁹

cancer posts contain misinfo

56%¹⁰

of UK patients exposed

71%¹⁰

of those exposed believed it

Group-driven misinfo with older, higher-belief demographic. Highest UK MAU of any platform.

Sources:[1] Ofcom [9] Johnson et al.[10] JMIR Cancer

UK Demographic Exposure to Misinformation

Source-Backed

Share of UK adults who reported encountering false or misleading information online in the past four weeks. Source: Ofcom Adults' Media Use & Attitudes Report (Nov 2024).²

Format & Spread Dynamics

Source-Backed

Short-form videoTikTok, Reels, Shorts
Algorithmic FYP — fastest discovery, lowest correction surface^6,7
Long-form videoYouTube
Misleading anecdotal content contradicts reference standards; retrieval depends on the search term used⁸
Short-form textTwitter / X
False news spreads 6× faster than true; AMR 2.4× faster^4,5
Group / communityFacebook Groups, Subreddits
Cancer 30–80% misinfo on FB; Reddit lower density (volunteer mod)^9,12
Encrypted channelTelegram
WHO Tier-2 substance-misinfo channel; no public visibility¹¹

Moderation Posture Matrix

Source-Backed

Platform	Posture	Fact-checkers	Notes
Twitter / X	Community Notes only	None	Trust & Safety team reduced 2023
TikTok	Algorithmic + human	Yes (regional)	Health-misinfo policy enforced
YouTube	Algorithmic + policy	Information panels	Medical-misinfo policy
Facebook	Algorithmic + 3P fact-check	Yes (Meta 3PFC)	Group-level enforcement uneven
Instagram	Algorithmic + 3P fact-check	Yes (Meta 3PFC)	Reels weakly covered
Telegram	None public	None	Encrypted channels opaque
Reddit	Volunteer moderators	None central	Per-subreddit policy

Sources

Source-Backed

Numbered references match the superscript citations throughout this page. All links open in a new tab.

1.
Ofcom — Online Nation 2024 Report · Regulator · 2024link
2.
Ofcom — Adults' Media Use and Attitudes Report · Regulator · Apr 2024link
3.
Piltch-Loeb et al. — WHO Systematic Review of vaccine misinformation · Peer-reviewed · 2022link
4.
Vosoughi, Roy & Aral — 'The spread of true and false news online' (Science 359:6380) · Peer-reviewed · 2018link
5.
Cross-platform AMR misinformation study (PubMed) · Peer-reviewed · 2025link
6.
Carter et al. — Misinformation in mental health and neurodivergence content on social media (J. Social Media Research) · Academic · Mar 2026link
7.
JMIR — Health misinformation on TikTok scoping review · Peer-reviewed · 2024link
8.
Madathil et al. — Healthcare information on YouTube: systematic review (Health Informatics Journal) · Peer-reviewed · 2015link
9.
Johnson et al. — Cancer misinformation on social media (JNCI) · Peer-reviewed · 2021link
10.
JMIR Cancer — Exposure and Reactions to Cancer Treatment Misinformation · Peer-reviewed · Jul 2023link
11.
WHO — Infodemic management framework · NGO · 2022link
12.
Pew Research Center — Reddit news and information habits · Industry · 2016link

Where UK-specific prevalence data is unavailable, this is shown as "Data gap" rather than an estimated figure.