12,000 new followers to HSE’s TikTok profile reveals potential to target more young people during pandemic- Higgins

The HSE gained 12,000 Tiktok followers since the onset of Covid which demonstrates the potential the social media platform has in targeting young people with important public health messages, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Deputy Emer Higgins obtained new figures showing growth across all HSE social media channels including TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook over the last nine months since the onset of the pandemic.

The Fine Gael Spokesperson for Financial Technology (FinTech) said, “I welcome the fact that so many people are engaging with Covid-19 related content on social media as compliance with public health guidelines is important in that it is designed to save lives and must be adhered to.

“The HSE has confirmed to me that it has seen increases in audiences across social media channels, with 120,000 additional Twitter followers, 150,000 more Facebook followers, and 70,000 more Instagram followers over the last nine months, with the jump proving that people are looking for Covid- related content.

“The HSE also has a new profile on TikTok, which is currently one of the fastest growing social media platforms in the world. It is a video-sharing social networking service which enables users to make videos that generally have a duration from 3 to 60 seconds.

“The data shows that the HSELive Tiktok page has a total of 12,000 followers, with the HSE beginning to advertise on the platform in Ireland in recent months.

“Roughly 50% of TikTok’s global audience is under the age of 34 and strong use among 18 to 24-year -olds, which makes it one of the platforms that should be actively targeted in reaching this demographic when it comes to Covid-19.

“A quick scan of its page reveals a handful of videos that feature a young person dancing in their living room to emphasise the importance of staying home, and others which are shortened versions of TV ad campaigns.

“Interestingly, some of these videos have been viewed over 1 million times, which demonstrates the huge potential TikTok has in reaching our young people and driving the public health messages home.

“Given this potential, I believe there is scope for the HSE to share more engaging, thought-provoking content on TikTok, which could involve employing the services of an ad agency or indeed young people to do just that.

“I previously said that we needed a hard-hitting advertising campaign on the COVID-19 public health crisis, and for the HSE needed to rethink its advertising strategy.

“The HSE has spent €175,000 on social media advertising since the start of the pandemic, so perhaps officials could consider additional spending on TikTok advertising with the aim of protecting our health service and changing behaviour where it is needed.”

ENDS