Pediatricians may be hesitant to create a social media presence due to concerns about negative comments or having to battle misinformation. They might be inspired to give it a try, however, after learning how their colleagues are using various apps and platforms to connect with and educate patients and families.
Nicole R. Baldwin, M.D., FAAP, uses Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and other platforms to maintain a strong presence on social media. She started running her practice’s Facebook page in 2014 and launched her own professional page four years later.
“In this day and age, pediatricians need to be online, right?” said Dr. Baldwin, a general pediatrician at Northeast Cincinnati Pediatric Associates Inc. “This is where information is for our families. This is where they are getting their information, and if we’re not out there, then other people are putting stuff out there.”
She acknowledges it hasn’t always been easy but says attacks only strengthened her resolve.
“Part of my job is to educate adolescents, so I started on TikTok and my fourth video was a vaccine video that went crazy viral and got huge anti-vaccine attacks,” Dr. Baldwin said. “That was a crazy spiral of events, and it led me even more to where I am today as a vaccine advocate online. I use my platform to advocate for kids and educate parents and adolescents about general pediatrics, vaccines and parenting.”
Dr. Baldwin will share her experiences and tips for dealing with social media trolls and hateful comments during a session at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition titled “Surviving a Social Media Attack” (S2303). It will be held from 9-10 a.m. EDT Oct. 21 in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., and will be livestreamed.
Before creating a social media page, Dr. Baldwin said pediatricians should check to see if their employer has a social media policy. She recommends using only platforms you are comfortable with and portray an authentic version of yourself.
“I get positive messages from people saying thanks or the content was really helpful,” Dr. Baldwin said. “It’s really why I do what I do. It’s to help families feel more confident and help them see things that may be confusing with evidence-based content and not all the other stuff that’s out there.”
Finding the right platform
A fellowship director, Hina J. Talib, M.D., FAAP, joined Twitter to connect with future trainees in adolescent medicine. After just a few months, however, she realized it wasn’t the ideal place to reach her teenage patients or their parents.
Dr. Talib, a clinical associate professor of adolescent medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, N.Y., eventually created a presence on Instagram, where she talks about topics such as teen mental health, self-esteem, social media use and parenting tips. She created her @teenhealthdoc account just before the COVID-19 pandemic started and now has 92,000 followers.
“It was a time when parents, caregivers, teachers and therapists who are taking care of adolescents and young adults were really looking for help and guidance,” Dr. Talib said. “I really wanted to talk about adolescent health because that’s my passion. I learned so much from having people write back to me, whether I put questions out or whether they are sharing in the comments. It’s been a very powerful tool for me to hone my own practice and on my own advocacy.”
Dr. Talib often receives the most engagement on trending topics, like recent questions about air quality due to wildfire smoke or parents concerned about the fentanyl crisis.
A pediatric resident who goes by Dr. Emily started using TikTok to educate families on topics such as seizures, lumbar punctures, mental health and newborn care. She now has 508,000 followers on her account @dr.emzieees.
“I started making videos and sharing knowledge and getting a lot of really great feedback and questions,” said the doctor, an AAP member who does not share her full name or state of residence on social media or public platforms. “I knew there were so many people constantly sharing on social media and if I could add something educational to that, I knew it would be pretty powerful.”
She estimates a large majority of her followers are young mothers.
“I got comments from people saying they took their son in, and he ended up getting a lumbar puncture and they were glad they knew what to expect,” Dr. Emily said. “That was really powerful for me. They appreciated me getting the message out there.”
She set some guidelines for herself, including encouraging followers to seek in-person medical care when they ask specific questions and never making videos that would mock a patient, identify a patient or discourage someone from getting care.
Combating disinformation, negative comments
While social media has its benefits, many health care professionals are concerned about the rise in medical disinformation and personal attacks. Dr. Talib advises setting boundaries for social media use and discussion, saying she often deletes comments or blocks users who make threats or share misinformation.
“When starting off, you feel some sort of obligation to let the conversation continue, but I’ve learned in my time that’s just absolutely not the case,” Dr. Talib said. “It’s your own space, and you make the rules. It’s important for all of us to work against misinformation. By not allowing those comments, it’s a sign of strength because you’re protecting the information that anyone might come across when they come to your page.”
Dr. Baldwin agrees, adding it’s important for a pediatrician’s own mental health not to be dragged into unnecessary conflicts online.
“They just don’t have the right to do it on your page,” Dr. Baldwin said. “By blocking those people, you’re protecting yourself from them continuing to harass and bully you, and that’s really important.”
Though she typically doesn’t receive negative comments on her posts, Dr. Emily said she isn’t afraid to block users she feels aren’t interested in engaging in productive dialogue.
“I find that people who have something nasty to say on the internet usually aren’t coming from a place of wanting to share education, and that’s what I’m there for,” Dr. Emily said. “I don’t want to use my platform to spread any sort of hate.”
