We all know that no one has less time on their hands to dig for information online than parents, so it’s no surprise that many gravitate towards the easiest and quickest place to find it: social media. But while Ripudaman Singh Minhas, a Toronto-based developmental paediatrician, noticed late last year that many doctors and nurses were starting to share medical information on various platforms, he couldn?t find content that was specifically designed for the unique health needs and parenting styles of racialized or marginalized communities. That?s when he took to Instagram and TikTok with his Punjabi Kids Health videos, covering topics like COVID-19, nutrition, mental health and autism.
Because the majority of TikTok users are teens and young adults, Minhas and his team (made up of other healthcare professionals, social media strategists and student researchers who all identify as part of the Punjabi community) were surprised by their warm welcome into this virtual space. The videos on the Punjabi Kids? Health TikTok page are all less than a minute long and include Minhas pointing to facts and tips on screen while a trending song plays in the background. They were clearly on to something?the accounts have taken off, gaining more than 12,000 followers across the two platforms since January. We caught up with the TikTok doctor to find out why so many people are drawn to his videos and why it?s so important to have culturally adapted medical content available for the Sout...