Filmmaker Statement

Doctors have recently identified a concerning trend among young people: tic disorders potentially spread via TikTok videos. For sociologist Dr Robert Bartholomew, an expert in mass psychogenic illness, the trend isn’t surprising, but the potential consequences are alarming. Could the global scope of social media mean we are on the precipice of the world’s largest outbreak of psychogenic illness? Since the pandemic (and the anxiety and that has come with that), there has never been a better time for people to understand what psychogenic illness is. We are seeing the rise of social media use across the globe, and with it, concerns around the impact this might be having on society and as individuals. We’ve heard about the studies linking social media to increased anxiety, depression and misinformation, but what if social media is also spreading illness?