Assessing the Influence of a TikTok Aging Filter on Young Adults’ Intentions to Use Sunscreen for Skin Cancer Prevention

Background Skin cancer is among the most common cancers globally. With the rise of social media, platforms like TikTok are emerging as potential tools in public health. This study explored whether a TikTok aging filter could increase sunscreen use intentions.

Participants (N=230) were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (N=114), exposed to the TikTok aging filter and an educational video about ultraviolet radiation, or the control group (N=116), exposed only to the ultraviolet radiation video. A generalized linear mixed effects model was used to assess the relationship between group assignment, demographic variables, and attitudes toward sunscreen use.

The median participant age was 22 years; 56% were female, 56% were non-White, and 92% were non-Hispanic. Multivariable analyses showed significant increases in sunscreen use intentions in both groups (OR: 6.17, p<0.001), with the experimental group showing a greater increase (OR: 4.26, p<0.001). Awareness of sunscreen benefits (OR: 4.36, p < 0.001) and concern about aging from sun exposure (OR: 6.50, p < 0.001) also increased, with no significant differences between groups.

Interactive and user-tailored visualizations can more effectively enhance sunscreen use intentions than video formats alone. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funding Statement The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: This study received exemption by the Georgetown University Institutional Review Board (IRB ID: STUDY00007686). Verbal consent was obtained from all participants before participation. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Data Availability The data underlying the results presented in the study are available from David Perez/Jaeil Ahn (dp845{at}georgetown.edu/ja1030{at}georgetown.edu)