Think twice, scroll once: Encouraging critical reflection as a shield against health misinformation and overgeneralized messaging by social media influencers

Social media influencers (SMIs) are central actors in today's digital environments, shaping young people's beliefs and attitudes. Yet, their messaging often contains misleading claims. This study examines the effects of two types of misleading communication by SMIs, misinformation and overgeneralized messaging, and tests an intervention designed to foster critical evaluation of this content. We conducted a 3 (message: misinformation vs. overgeneralized vs. correct) × 2 (intervention: present vs. absent) mixed-design online experiment using realistic TikTok videos, with Gen Z participants (18–25 years old) and a two-week follow-up ( N w 1 = 562; N w 2 = 370). Both misinformation and overgeneralized content undermined message credibility, belief accuracy, source trustworthiness, and parasocial relationships. The intervention largely reduced susceptibility to misinformation, but these effects diminished over time. For overgeneralized messaging, the intervention's effects were minimal and short-lived. This suggests that while critical reflection provides short-term protection against misinformation, its effects do not extend to subtler forms of misleading content.