Social media networks are trying to clamp down on the potentially harmful recipes, but the videos are still out there.
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| Photo: John Nacion/STAR MAX/IPx (AP) |
TikTok user “lonestarcjaye” looks defiantly into the camera and shares a recipe for baby formula that “our parents in the sixties drank” in a 50 second video that got over one million views with the hashtag #bidensamerica. “You mix that all up and you give it to your babies, and they’re going to be just fine,” she proclaims in the TikTok video. “In the meantime, don’t vote democrat because this is their fault.”
The video is one of many that have gone viral on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook promoting a potentially dangerous recipe for baby formula amid a nationwide shortage. The social media platforms have been trying to combat the spread of the videos by either removing them or labeling them as misinformation, but many of them are still out there racking up views, according to a recent report by Bloomberg.
Parents in need of baby formula are desperate for at-home hacks in the wake of the nationwide shortage due to supply chain issues and a recent recall of certain baby formula products due to concerns of bacterial infections. As a result, Twitter posts on homemade baby formula rose by 2,100% from the first to the second week of May, Bloomberg reported.
Social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok told Bloomberg that they had been working to remove the online videos, while a spokesperson from Facebook said that external content reviewers are placing warning labels on baby formula misinformation.
The online baby formula recipe recommends using Karo syrup, which is a form of corn syrup that may contain harmful bacteria and result in serious medical conditions for babies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning against homemade baby formula, advising parents who have given their infants the baby formula to contact a healthcare provider.
“Homemade infant formula recipes have not been evaluated by the FDA and may lack nutrients vital to an infant’s growth,” the FDA’s statement read. The FDA also stated that it has already received reports of hospitalized infants suffering from calcium deficiencies due to homemade baby formula.
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