TikTok and Gender Dysphoria

Since around 2014, many more young people have been referred to the British gender clinic, especially young people registered as female at birth. The Cass Review names social media as one of the possible factors; the report does not mention TikTok by name.

What is happening

The Cass Review writes that referrals to the British gender clinic rose exponentially from 2014 and that the increase disproportionately involved young people registered as female at birth (source). The Dutch Health Council also wrote in 2026 that in recent years more birth-registered girls have come forward (source). As for TikTok itself, the platform writes that the For You feed shows a stream of videos that matches the user's interests and is different for every person (source).

Research

The Cass Review writes that online experiences in late childhood and early puberty can influence self-image and expectations about puberty and gender, that peer influence is strong at this stage of life and that social media is part of it (para. 8.55 and 8.56). The report also says it heard stories of girls who formed intense friendships at school with other gender-questioning or transgender pupils and afterwards identified as trans themselves. According to the report there is no single explanation for the increase: all the explanations mentioned are probably true to a greater or lesser extent, and a different combination of factors applies to each young person (para. 8.61; source). A link between TikTok and gender dysphoria has therefore not been demonstrated. See also peer influence.

Littman (2018, corrected in 2019) published a survey of parents about young people in whom gender dysphoria seemed to have started suddenly; the parents reported, among other things, an increase in social media and internet use for expressing a transgender identity. These are parents' observations that serve to form hypotheses, and the corrected version emphasizes that the study does not confirm the phenomenon (source; correction).

Clinical implications

The Cass Review writes that working with a young person on this development will probably take time, and that the role of the clinical team is to help the young person with it (para. 8.62; source).

What young people see

The Cass Review heard from parents that certain influencers had a great influence on what their child believes and understands about gender (source). What research and parents report about influencers, algorithms and online communities can be found at transkind.nl.

A well-known parallel

That complaints can spread through social media has been described in another area. During the coronavirus pandemic, paediatricians and neurologists worldwide reported a clear increase in functional disorders with tic-like behaviours; these patients often said they watched many TikTok videos about Tourette syndrome (source). In Germany, according to neurologists, this spread mainly via a popular YouTube creator; they speak of a 'mass social media-induced illness' (source). For gender dysphoria such a link has not been demonstrated.

What parents can do

TikTok writes in its terms of service that the services are only for people aged 13 and older (source). Ask what your child is watching and ask them to show you their own page: it shows what the algorithm has been tuned to. Talk about what the videos do not show. Agree on limits for use, especially in the evening, and make sure there is contact and activity away from the screen. See also Pinterest and gender dysphoria, the social contagion hypothesis and the guide for concerned parents.