Many studies have documented widespread contraceptive misinformation circulating on social media platforms, with much concern about the potential impact this has on individuals’ use of and preferences for contraception. Understanding how misinformation operates is crucial to countering its spread. However, little research has explored how contraceptive misinformation is being drawn upon by individuals making contraceptive ...Read more >

This study investigates how language, identity, and structural inequality shape susceptibility to contraceptive misinformation and disinformation among English- and Spanish-speaking populations in Louisiana. Grounded in the socioecological model and environmental health framework, the project explores how individual cognition and emotion, community-level norms, and broader information environments influence engagement with misinformation. The study responds to persistent ...Read more >

Contraception is frequently discussed on pregnancy and parenting forums. Before birth, users discuss efforts to become pregnant; after birth, users discuss family planning strategies and postpartum contraception. These conversations include users’ contraception questions, experiences, and second-hand information. Despite the frequency of contraception-related conversations in these settings, contraceptive misinformation has not been broadly studied on these ...Read more >

Reproductive autonomy for adolescents and young adults (AYA, ages 15–29) critically depends on access to accurate, timely contraceptive information. Access to traditional contraceptive information sources has diminished substantially in recent decades, disproportionately impacting marginalized AYA. With gaps in contraceptive information, many AYA increasingly turn to digital spaces like social media and online communities. Young people ...Read more >

Accurate information about emergency contraception (EC) is integral to reproductive autonomy, especially within the current national landscape restricting reproductive rights and health. Yet there is substantial misinformation about EC that may undermine its use, leading to adverse and consequential outcomes. Social media use is ubiquitous in the US across all demographic groups and is a ...Read more >

Immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are a rapidly growing US population whose reproductive autonomy may be particularly threatened by contraceptive misinformation. A pervasive myth that contributes to the consistently low uptake of modern contraception in SSA is that modern contraception causes infertility. Given the centrality of childbearing to their identity, SSA men and women who ...Read more >

Addressing contraceptive mis- and dis-information is particularly urgent in states like Mississippi where reproductive health is most threatened by structural oppression. While much research focuses on social media, this is only part of the story, particularly in the Bible Belt where dominance of socially conservative Protestant Christianity creates an enabling environment for disinformation spread by ...Read more >

This project seeks to understand the experiences of individuals with chronic conditions encountering and engaging with contraceptive mis- and disinformation on social media. People living with chronic health conditions such as autoimmune conditions, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis often experience provider dismissal of symptoms, confusing healthcare-seeking pathways, lengthy time to diagnosis, and financial strain. ...Read more >

The role social media platforms play in contraception mis- and disinformation is well-known. However, existing studies provide only a temporal snapshot, which quickly becomes outdated due to the fast-evolving nature of online discourse. Additionally, descriptive studies of content are often unable to measure the impact of public messages or rely on limited survey campaigns. Finally, ...Read more >

Side effects—both anticipated and experienced—are a significant influence on contraceptive decision-making, particularly for hormonal methods. In our ongoing, large-scale study of contraceptive information on TikTok, we found that nearly two-thirds of TikToks in our dataset shared lived experiences with contraceptive use and often focused on side effects—largely making claims about users’ individual experiences and not ...Read more >