Davina McCall ‘terrified’ over wrong contraception messages online
Davina McCall has admitted she is 'terrified' over online messages about wrong contraception advice.
As we are all too aware, there is a lot of misinformation going around on the internet, with it being hard to tell for many what is correct.
Of course, there is a lot of good and informative information, looking no further than the NHS and credited health sites for all those health worries.
But such advice has also appeared on video platforms such as TikTok in recent years, with a large flurry of youngsters fed information on the app.
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This has led McCall, who is turning her attention to the contraceptive pill with a new Channel 4 documentary, to worry about the information the younger generation are being fed.
While the 55-year-old is shocked that after more than 60 years since the pill was invented there is still massive side effects for women who don't want to fall pregnant, the use of TikTok is scaring her more.
We all know how overstretched GPs are in the UK, so younger women are taking to social media apps for advice as it is free and readily available.
But when McCall looked on TikTok for information about contraception, she was shocked and horrified to find so much misinformation on the app.
As per OK, she said: "It is terrifying, these messages. We all know that we get served a load of old tosh on social media sometimes.
"You see some misinformation on social media, you go to school and tell three girlfriends something, and it’s fact, because you’ve seen it on social media, and then – bang – it’s everywhere."
While that was a bit of an eyeopener, McCall did find some encouraging news in research done for her new documentary.
The TV presenter discovered DNA sequencing and mapping of women’s genomes could soon predict how contraception might affect each individual.
"You might be able to see if someone is sensitive to progesterone, or see someone who absorbs hormones more, and so are less likely to be protected by the pill," she explained.
"We can get to a point where we can test women to see what kind of contraception will suit them the best. That would be amazing! Imagine all the time you’d save – all those years of trying different pills!"
On the conversation surrounding the contraceptive pill as a whole, McCall concluded: "It makes me feel angry too because we deserve better. Better research, better knowledge, better quality of care, more funding.
"This is a conversation we have to have so let’s start a contraception revolution."
Topics: Health
Callum Jones