Home  >  What in the World  >  Do false online rumours on birth control have consequences IRL?
What in the World
Do false online rumours on birth control have consequences IRL?
What in the World
Sep 20, 2023

People seem to be turning to social media influencers for advice on what birth control method to use. Some influencers are suggesting that their followers stop taking hormonal contraception due to rumoured side effects.

In Scotland, experts are worried that misinformation online may be contributing to record high abortion rates.

Two BBC reporters talk us through attitudes towards hormonal contraception in the areas they report on - Katie McEvinney in Scotland and Dorcas Wangira, our Africa Health Correspondent, in Kenya.

Laura Foster from our health team gives us some facts on birth control effectiveness, safety and explains where you can go for advice.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler and Alex Rhodes Editors: Julia Ross-Roy and Simon Peeks

More Episodes
Feb 5, 2025
USAID: Can the world live without it?

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is under fire. It is the world’s biggest donor and spends billions of dollars a year, funding programmes around the world, like fighting malaria in Bangladesh, clearing unexploded landmines in Cambodia and Laos and providing medical supplies in Sudan.

But President Trump says it is run by “radical lunatics” and he and billionaire Elon Musk, who’s got the job of trying to slash American government spending, want to shut it down. They have paused almost all international spending for 90 days and issued “stop work” orders to their staff. BBC journalist Nathalia Jimenez tells us what USAID does - and why the Trump administration wants to close it.

A large proportion of USAID funding goes towards healthcare and HIV medication in sub-Saharan Africa. Makuochi Okafor, the BBC’s Africa Health correspondent tells us what impact closing USAID could have in this region.

Anselm Gibbs, a BBC reporter based in Trinidad and Tobago, tells us about programmes USAID funds in the Caribbean. And Hilde Deman from Search for Common Ground, an international NGO that uses USAID funding in countries affected by violent conflict, talks about the impact to their work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Benita Barden and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Rosanna La Falce


13min 08sec




Do false online rumours on birth control have consequences IRL?

--:--
--:--