Vitamin K consent rates dropped from 98.3% to 95.5% in Queensland since 2016, leaving over 2,500 babies annually without this life-saving treatment. Influencers falsely claim vitamin K contains dangerous chemicals or causes cancer, exploiting anti-vax communities through algorithmic targeting on TikTok and Instagram.
Australian parents refusing vitamin K for newborns as social media misinformation spreads
Six infants died from intracranial hemorrhage due to vitamin K deficiency bleeding linked to parental refusal; additional cases resulted in significant ongoing disability.