Quality, reliability, and clinical accuracy of short-form social media videos on cow's milk protein allergy: a cross-platform content analysis.

UNLABELLED: Cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) is a common pediatric condition frequently discussed on social media. Because symptoms are often nonspecific and parental anxiety is high, inaccurate online information may contribute to overdiagnosis and unnecessary use of hypoallergenic formulas. This study evaluated the quality, reliability, and clinical accuracy of short-form social media videos on CMPA. In this cross-sectional content analysis, short-form videos from Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts were searched in April 2026 using the hashtag #cowsmilkproteinallergy. The first 50 eligible English-language videos from each platform were included. Educational quality and reliability were assessed using the Global Quality Scale (GQS), modified DISCERN (mDISCERN) score, and a CMPA Information Accuracy Scale (CMPA IAS) developed by allergy/immunology experts based on current guidelines. Of the 150 videos, 69 were produced by medical creators and 81 by non-medical creators. Overall, 25 videos (16.6%) contained potentially harmful or misleading information. TikTok had the highest engagement metrics but also the highest proportion of non-medical creators and harmful content. Videos produced by medical creators had significantly higher GQS, mDISCERN, and CMPA IAS scores, whereas non-medical creators generated significantly greater engagement. In multivariable analysis, Instagram videos scored higher than TikTok videos for GQS and mDISCERN. Videos produced by medical creators also scored significantly higher across all three instruments. Additionally, longer video duration was independently associated with higher scores. CONCLUSION: Within this hashtag-based sample, short-form social media videos on CMPA frequently contained incomplete or potentially harmful information, particularly on highly engaging platforms and among non-medical creators. Our findings suggest that greater healthcare professional involvement and strategies to improve the visibility of evidence-based content may help improve the quality of online CMPA information. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Short-form social media platforms are increasingly used by parents to obtain health information, but the quality and reliability of this content are highly variable. • Cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) is particularly vulnerable to misinformation because of its nonspecific symptoms and high levels of parental anxiety. WHAT IS NEW: • This is the first cross-platform study evaluating the clinical accuracy, quality, and reliability of short-form videos on CMPA using a guideline-based CMPA Information Accuracy Scale. • Highly engaging platforms and non-medical creators were more likely to share potentially harmful information, highlighting the need for greater healthcare professional involvement.