The Tone of Awareness: Topic, Sentiment, and Toxicity Maps During Mental Health Month on TikTok
arXiv:2606.13581v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Despite raising concerns about the mental health effects associated with the usage of TikTok, little is known about how related content is framed by creators and received by audiences. We collect the content of 28,341 TikTok videos and 80,130 comments from Mental Health Awareness Month (May) in 2023 and 2024 via the TikTok Research API, and study how the tone of awareness varies across topics and years. We characterize "tone" as the emotional and interpersonal framing of mental health discourse, operationalized through sentiment and toxicity me
The study directly analyzes recent data (2023-2024) from Mental Health Awareness Month, leveraging the TikTok Research API, which indicates continued investigation into the platform's social impact.
This research provides granular insights into the framing and reception of mental health content on a dominant social media platform, offering critical data for understanding public discourse and algorithmic influence.
Our understanding of how mental health discourse evolves on TikTok over time and across different thematic areas is enhanced by quantitative analysis of sentiment and toxicity.
- · Mental health researchers
- · Public health organizations
- · Social media platforms prioritizing well-being
- · Policymakers focused on online safety
- · Platforms with toxic content
- · Creators promoting harmful mental health narratives
The study reveals specific patterns and trends in mental health discussions on TikTok, including sentiment and toxicity.
Understanding these patterns enables more targeted interventions or moderation strategies by platforms and mental health advocates.
Improved platform policies driven by such research could contribute to a healthier online environment for mental health discussions globally.
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