The case in summary: – Ron Daniel Pedersen, a 33-year-old man with a brain tumor, documents his battle against cancer on TikTok, where he has thousands of followers from all over the world. – Pedersen believes that the support he receives from his followers helps him through the pain, and he feels obliged to share his story. – TikTok has become a platform where many cancer patients share their experiences, which has created a supportive “cancerTok community”. – The Norwegian Cancer Society is positive about openness about cancer on social media, but emphasizes that those who share must understand the influence they have.- TikTok does not allow the sharing of incorrect health advice, and removed over 98 percent of harmful content before it was reported to them from April to June this year.- At the Center for Cancer Treatment at Sørlandet Hospital must doctors often correct health advice that patients have taken from TikTok, and encourage patients to be critical of the source. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – Hello, you guys. I’m on chemotherapy now so I hope I’m fit to post more in the future, says 33-year-old Ron Daniel Pedersen on his mobile phone. He is one of thousands from all over the world who are documenting his cancer on TikTok. – People think it’s cool that I share, and they come with lots of well-wishes. When I have so many people cheering me on, it’s easier to get through the pain, says Pedersen. It started with this video: Ron Daniel Pedersen shares his everyday life as a cancer patient with thousands of followers on TikTok. His motivation is to be useful to others. Read also: Gunn Kaya Glad was told that she had stomach cancer in 2022. Now she is part of a new cancer study. Read the hopeful case here. – Gives a false sense of security Pedersen has been living with a brain tumor since 2019. The doctors said he had 10-15 years left to live. – I have come to terms with the situation. I have now had radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and I will soon go to the hospital to check whether the tumor is growing or has shrunk. Pedersen often goes into detail in his videos. The consideration he receives in the comment section helps to make life with the disease easier. Photo: Screenshot He is passionate about sharing the right information about cancer. For the past year, he has been posting videos weekly on TikTok. – I feel obliged to share when so many people follow me, and it gives me a kind of false security that unknown people cheer me on, he says. – How do you know what is okay to share? – I am not a healthcare professional, and I try not to share medical advice. Otherwise, I just speak quite freely. It works best for me, he says. He is often given advice on alternative treatment. – I received an offer from someone who wanted to hold my head for ten minutes seven days in a row, to cure the cancer. Then I politely declined, says Pedersen and smiles. – We need each other Posting videos about cancer has become a big TikTok trend. Erin M. D Hagins from the US has 38,000 followers. She started posting videos when she got lung cancer. Today she is healthy. – There is a whole “cancerTok community” here. People who follow us are very supportive, says Hagins. She says that TikTok became a safe place where she could talk openly about the disease, when it became too much for friends and family to handle. Erin M. D Hagins from the US thinks TikTok is a great place to share all aspects of cancer. Undocumented claims The Norwegian Cancer Society is positive about openness about cancer in social media. But the association emphasizes that those who share must understand the influence they have. Håvard Greger Hagen / news The Cancer Society reacts The Cancer Society’s secretary general Ingrid Stenstadvold Ross reacts to the fact that much of the information shared on TikTok about cancer is not documented advice. Dado Ruvic / Reuters / NTB Easy to lose context – the TikTok universe is absolutely huge. There are many people who share health claims that are not as well documented. It is easy to lose context and nuances here, which in the health field can be decisive in order not to create fear and misconceptions, says the Secretary-General. Unknown Follows withKreftforeningen follows several topic tags used by those who share about cancer. – We are on TikTok ourselves because we want to be a counterweight to some of the incorrect claims that are out there. Especially because so many young people use TikTok, she says. Does not allow incorrect advice Communications manager for TikTok in the Nordics, Parisa Khosravi, says that they do not allow incorrect health advice to be shared. – We do not allow health information that is misleading. For example, we remove misleading statements about vaccines, inaccurate medical advice that can lead to not receiving appropriate medical treatment for a life-threatening illness, or other misinformation that can have negative health effects on a person’s life, she says. On TikTok, there are several thousand people who share their cancer, and who also share advice about treating cancer. In October this year, TikTok collaborated with the Pink Ribbon Action, the Cancer Society and the Breast Cancer Society to share information about breast cancer. – It is important that TikTok is a safe platform where people can share and discuss challenging topics, says Khosravi. She goes on to say that from April to June this year, they removed over 98 percent of harmful content before it was reported to them. Khosravi otherwise refers to the company’s Transparency report. Clearing up misinformation At the Center for Cancer Treatment at Sørlandet Hospital, doctors often have to correct health advice that patients have taken from TikTok. – Sometimes we spend a lot of time on it. Unfortunately, there are people who want to exploit other people in a vulnerable situation. There can be enthusiasm for good advice which eventually turns out to be based on lies, says Christoph Müller, specialist in oncology. Christoph Müller is senior physician at the Center for Cancer Treatment at Sørlandet Hospital. He warns his patients that there are many in social media who want to exploit people in a vulnerable situation. Photo: Elisabeth Sandve / news He advises his patients to be critical of sources, whether the information comes from the neighbour, a book, a weekly magazine or TikTok. – The patients are in a very vulnerable phase and therefore it is important to consider who to trust. We want to make good choices together with the patients, he says. In Lillestrøm, Ron Daniel Pedersen makes his health choices together with the doctors. He will continue to share about his illness on TikTok for now. – I have no plan, but I will continue to share as long as it benefits others, he says. Ron Daniel Pedersen is passionate about training without doping. That is why he has started a fitness association against doping, in the hope of making young people healthier. Photo: news Published 12.11.2024, at 21.56
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