January 14, 2026 | 07:04 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Nowadays, social media has become the main source of health information for people, covering everything from dietary advice to claims about the effectiveness of medications and treatments. However, Professor Zullies Ikawati, a lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), believes that a lot of health information in the digital space is inaccurate and has the potential to mislead.
"Not all health information on social media is in line with clinical guidelines and scientific evidence," said Zullies at the UGM Faculty of Pharmacy on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
She points out the phenomenon of an infodemic, an inundation of information comprising facts, opinions, and hoaxes, that was introduced by the World Health Organization (WHO) since the Covid-19 pandemic. According to her, this situation has caused public confusion, prompted risky behavior, and undermined trust in health authorities.
Various studies have shown a high proportion of health misinformation on social media, especially concerning drugs, vaccines, and chronic diseases. Zullies mentioned that misinformation regarding smoking and certain drugs can reach 87 percent, vaccines around 43 percent, diseases about 40 percent, and medical actions around 30 percent.
"Social media algorithms tend to promote sensational and promising content, rather than evidence-based ones," she stated.
In Indonesia, a similar issue is reflected in data from the Ministry of Communication and Digital, which recorded 12,547 hoax issues until the end of 2023, with 2,357 of them related to health. According to Zullies, health issues easily go viral because they exploit the public's fears and hopes for a quick recovery.
Disinformation often intersects with product promotions. For instance, the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) found 79,015 illegal drugs and food products on e-commerce platforms throughout the first semester of 2025. "Digital content is often biased due to commercial interests," she said.
Zullies emphasizes the importance of health literacy and digital literacy. Credible information usually has a clear source, is delivered by competent parties, uses proportional language, and explains benefits and risks in a balanced manner.
She urges the public to be cautious of claims such as "guaranteed recovery," "instant," or "100 percent safe." She also encourages healthcare professionals to actively engage on social media to provide accurate and empathetic education. "Social media is not an enemy, but it cannot be the sole reference for truth," she concluded.
Read: Google Pulls Some AI Overviews for Health Queries
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