O047 Representations of Sleep in Social Media: A Tik Tok Case Study

Social media platforms such as Tik Tok have broadened and potentially democratised access to health information. The narratives and quality of information about sleep on TikTok has not been studied. We sought to understand sentiment towards sleep, the types of sleep problems represented by users, and the nature and content of advice about sleep provided on TikTok.

All videos associated with the keyword “sleep” were collected twice daily using the keyword search function of the Ensemble data TikTok API between 4th-17th November 2022 for Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. 7,373 unique videos were examined. After screening, videos were coded to a customised sleep narrative-specific code set. 1,913 discrete sleep-related videos were labelled according to 33 unique categories and underwent computational sentiment analysis.

Overall, sleep was framed more positively than negatively, particularly for sleep advice. Videos about sleep problems were typically framed positively through humour. The main sleep narratives represented included (1) problems with sleep quality, initiation or maintenance due to factors such as children, worries or use of electronic media, and (2) advice for improving sleep quality through the use of sleep-promoting soundscapes, advice on improving children’s sleep, and implementation of routines/habits to support sleep.

Platforms such as Tik Tok provide opportunities to disseminate timely, engaging, and evidence-based information about sleep health to a wide community. However, they equally carry risks of mass distribution of false information that warrants broader oversight and critical examination.