Facebook , Pinterest and YouTube are cracking down on the spread of medical misinformation on their sites , after a recent investigation by The Wall Street Journal posted adverts for bogus treatments for diseases including cancer , as well as the growing anti - vaccination movement . In 2016 , supplement salesman Robert O Young was jailed for practising medicine without a prescription , after receiving up to $ 5 m annually from internet donations — mainly through blogs and YouTube . After his release , Young has several pages on Facebook . A 2018 survey by JAMA ##est found people who prefer alternative cancer treatments over conventional therapies have a higher mortality risk .
Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube are cracking down on the spread of medical misinformation on their sites, after a recent investigation by The Wall Street Journal exposed adverts for bogus treatments for diseases including cancer, as well as the growing anti-vaccination movement. In 2016, supplement salesman Robert O Young was jailed for practising medicine without a licence, after earning up to $5m annually from internet customers — mainly through Facebook and YouTube. After his release, Young has several pages on Facebook. A 2018 study by JAMA Oncology found people who choose alternative cancer treatments over conventional therapies have a higher mortality risk.