Instagram remains a hotbed of vaccine misinformation

Leaders of the social media platform Instagram said months ago that they would take steps to curb the spread of misinformation about vaccines, but anti-vaccine content remains prevalent on the platform, according to news reports.

A February 2, 2020 Huffington Post investigation provided numerous examples of anti-vaccine misinformation that was easily searchable on the platform, including falsehoods about vaccines and the Wuhan coronavirus and links between vaccines and autism.

“This is causing real damage to public health,” said Kasisomayajula “Vish” Viswanath, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Most people who use Instagram are younger — people who may not have children yet, but could be ready to have children. Their opinions about vaccines are still being formed.”

Read the Huff Post article: Instagram’s Search Results For Vaccines Are A Public Health Nightmare