We are a team of medical and public health professionals at the University of Pittsburgh. We have extensive experience researching social media vaccine misinformation and working with community partners to address vaccine hesitancy, combat misinformation, and promote vaccine equity
By: Jaime Sidani, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences; Beth Hoffman, PhD Student in Behavioral Sciences and Community Health, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Maya Rajwan, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences
Since COVID-19 vaccines became available for children ages 5 to 11 in early November 2021, many families have lined up to vaccinate their school-age children before holiday trips and gatherings.
As of December 14, 5.6 million American children ages 5 to 11 – which is about 19% of this age group – have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. And 2.9 million, or about 10% of this age group, are fully vaccinated.
However, the pace began to slow. Vaccination rates in this age group vary widely across the country, and the US is still far from reaching a threshold that will help keep COVID-19 infections at a low level.
We are a team of medical and public health professionals at the University of Pittsburgh. We have extensive experience researching vaccine misinformation on social media and working with community partners to address vaccine hesitancy, combat misinformation, and promote vaccine equity.
Through this work, we have seen and learned the ways in which anti-vaccine activists on social media target vulnerable parents who are trying to navigate the challenges of digesting health information to make appropriate decisions for their children.
Social media and vaccine misinformation
The anti-vaccine activists are a small but vocal group. According to a study by the nonprofit Center to Combat Digital Hate, just 12 social media accounts—the "Disinformation Dozen"—are behind the majority of anti-vaccine posts on Facebook. Studies also show that only about 2% of parents forego the vaccinations for their children. A larger group, or about 20% of parents, can more accurately be described as vaccine hesitant, meaning they are undecided about whether to vaccinate their children as recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Regarding COVID-19 vaccines specifically, as of October 2021, about a third of parents of children ages 5 to 11 said they would vaccinate their children as soon as possible. Another third said they would wait to see how the vaccine worked, and the final third said they would definitely not vaccinate their children.
It is likely difficult for parents to digest the large amount of information available about COVID-19 vaccines – both true and false information. In search of answers, some parents turn to social media platforms. The problem is that these parents are also the focus of interest of anti-vaccine activists who are better organized and more adept at tailoring their messages to the diverse concerns of vaccine skeptics compared to pro-vaccine activists.
Social media is a major tool for spreading false information. Although sometimes misinformation is an outright lie, other times it's more like a game of broken telephone. A kernel of truth changes a little when it is redistributed, and eventually it becomes something false. Unfortunately, exposure to misinformation about COVID-19 has been shown to reduce people's intention to get vaccinated.
Addressing parents' immunization concerns
So how can pediatricians and other health care professionals empower parents to feel confident in choosing to vaccinate their children against COVID-19?
The answer may be working with communities to promote the perception of the vaccine as reliable rather than simply asking the public to trust it. We operate as part of the Pittsburgh Community Immunization Collaborative, which is a community-academic partnership that seeks to ensure equitable access to vaccines for COVID-19. Through this effort we focused on building the credibility of the vaccines and the providers and health systems that offer the vaccines in their communities.
Healthcare providers are a trusted source of information about the COVID-19 vaccine, but they are not the only sources. Studies have found that it is important to lean on the expertise and voices of community partners, community health workers and religious leaders.
Our research suggests that pediatricians and public health professionals can effectively use social media to promote vaccination and provide families with sound scientific information to answer their questions and concerns. The results of a survey recently published in academic children's articles found that 96% of parents used social media. Of these, 68% reported using it to obtain health information.
For example, a children's group we partner with uses humor combined with information to combat myths and answer questions about COVID-19 vaccines.
Social media is also an effective way to reach teenagers who can decide for themselves whether they want to get a COVID-19 vaccine without their parents' consent (in some cities and countries). Adolescents may also be able to influence their parents.
Research shows that parents who report high vaccination intention for COVID-19 also report high vaccination intention to vaccinate their children, therefore, talking about vaccines as a family may be helpful in combating misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, parents whose children have been vaccinated can use social media to share their experiences and make their children feel more normal and accepted among their peers.
We also learned that promoting media literacy, which encourages people to question the media information they come into contact with, can empower parents to sift through the "infodemia" of information about the COVID-19 vaccine. While social media platforms have announced policies of removing vaccine misinformation, studies show that this is not always effective in reducing the impact of such misinformation. Learning how to find the source of a piece of information and thinking about who the target audience is may help people determine whether the information is true or distorted.
Increasing vaccination rates for children and young people for COVID-19 is important to promote their health and fitness, as well as bring us all closer to ending the epidemic.
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