In 2025, 79% of the UK population were estimated to be using social media, with YouGov data suggesting that 22% of people get their health information from these platforms (40% among Gen Z). While social media enables global connectivity, improved social connectedness and information sharing, there is growing concern about commercial influence, vested interests of health-harming industries, and the spread of misinformation.

Hosted by Local Health and Global Profits (LHGP), this webinar takes place on Monday 23 March, 2026. It will explore the social media industry as a commercial determinant of health, examining how these platforms drive health outcomes, and the potential conflicts of interest between public health and social media.

Speakers

Dr Marco Zenone, Assistant Professor of Health Science Communication at the University of Ottawa, will discuss how digital platforms enable the spread of mis- and disinformation, and how their design, incentives, and governance shape health information environments.

Dr Deborah Cohen, Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science and medically qualified broadcaster, journalist and editor, will address the rise of influencers, their role in spreading misinformation, and the challenges this poses for population health.

Dr Nason Maani, LHGP Deputy Director and Associate Professor in Inequalities and Global Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh, will examine the evidence on ways to challenge and counteract commercially driven health mis- and disinformation.

This webinar will be chaired by Professor Mark Petticrew, Professor of Public Health, Faculty of Public Health and Policy at the London School of Health and Tropical Medicine, and Director of the NIHR Public Health Policy Research Unit.

Timings

Monday 23 March, 2026: 15:30-17:00

The presentations will be followed by a Q&A.

Image: Shutterstock, N Universe