Crisis of Incorrect Medical Diagnoses Among Teenagers via Social Media and Artificial Intelligence

Social media platforms, led by TikTok, are driving a profound shift in how teenage girls understand their mental health, transforming everyday feelings of anxiety and stress into socially accepted and familiar “diagnostic labels.” Girls are increasingly turning to these platforms to find explanations for their emotions, leading them into the trap of incorrect self-diagnosis and the construction of a personal identity centered around psychological disorders they may not actually have.

The integration of artificial intelligence technologies has significantly exacerbated this crisis, with teenage girls increasingly relying on chatbots as substitutes for doctors and specialists. These applications offer instant psychological counseling and superficial validations that lack medical depth and accurate clinical diagnosis, thereby reinforcing delusional beliefs and prompting girls to adopt complex classifications such as “borderline personality disorder” or “autism” based on algorithms that are not medically qualified.

Mental health experts warn of the serious consequences of this phenomenon. The overuse of pathological labels undermines the accuracy of genuine diagnoses and diminishes the actual value of medical terminology. This constant overlap and confusion make it more difficult for doctors to distinguish cases that truly require specialized medical care and intervention, thereby depriving the most vulnerable groups of timely and appropriate psychological support.