Sharing Your Birth Control Experience Helps Fight Misinformation
Power to Decide’s 2026 YouR HeAlth Survey found that 18% of young adults and adolescents ages 15-29 reported social media as their primary source of birth control information. For many young adults, social media is their go-to search tool, and where they first hear about a method, compare notes with friends, or try to make sense of what their body is doing. That makes social media platforms a powerful place to learn, but also a place for mis/disinformation to spread.
One of the most effective tools we have to cut through the noise is something we all own. Storytelling.
On Thursday, November 12, Power to Decide celebrates its 14th annual Thanks, Birth Control Day. It's a day to share how birth control has shaped people’s lives, honestly and out loud, using #ThxBirthControl. Here's why bringing as many voices as possible matters more than ever this year
Why Battling Mis/Disinformation About Birth Control Matters
Misinformation is false or misleading content shared by people who believe it's true, while disinformation is false content spread on purpose, often to push an agenda. Online, the two blur together fast, and posts shared by well-meaning people can end up causing harm.
False claims about birth control, abortion, and sexual health are spreading quickly online. That digital environment makes it harder for people to find information they can trust, and it fuels policies that restrict access to care. Social media scare tactics and false claims all feed into each other, creating a cycle that shapes what people believe.
This hits young people especially hard. New data from Power to Decide’s Youth Reproductive Health Access (YouR HeAlth) Survey shows that social media is not only a source of sexual and reproductive health information for young people; One in five young people have considered starting, stopping, or changing their method because of something they saw on social media, and one in ten reported actually making a change.
And this is happening at a critical moment. Access to birth control is under coordinated, sustained attack. Our Contraceptive Access Maps data shows that more than 21.4 million women* in the U.S. who need low- or no-cost contraception live in a contraceptive access gap, where clinic availability doesn't match the need in their county. When access is already hard, mis/disinformation makes navigating it harder.
Stories Cut Through the Noise
Facts matter. But facts alone don't always travel as far as a powerful story. Mis/disinformation spreads because it feels personal, emotional, and urgent. That is why we are asking partners to share Thanks, Birth Control with their networks and communities to encourage them to participate. Every experience shared gives others a real, human reference point.
Every honest story can help someone feel less alone and can connect people to the resources and information they need. Stigma thrives on silence. When people share their experience, they empower someone else to find a method that works for them, ask questions, and seek out trusted information.
Celebrating birth control doesn't mean pretending it's always easy. Gratitude and frustration can live side by side. Being honest about the whole experience is part of what makes stories impactful. Many people try more than one method before finding the one that works for them. Some deal with side effects that are frustrating or hard to navigate. Many find a method that they love and stick with it. Regardless, sharing your story helps push back on the misinformation that can make accessing birth control more difficult. That’s why this Thanks, Birth Control Day, we’re urging everyone to share their experiences.
How to Participate
Invite your community to share a short post, a photo, or a quick video. A few tips can help stories do the most good:
- Be specific. Name your method(s) and what it's made possible for you.
- Keep it personal. Share what worked (or didn't) for you, without telling others what they should use.
- Skip the myths. You don't need to repeat a false claim to push back on it; lead with your truth instead.
- Be honest about the whole experience. The good, the frustrating, and the complicated all belong.
- Point people to trusted information. If someone has questions, send them to Bedsider for medically accurate, judgment-free information on every method and ways to get it.
- Use #ThxBirthControl. It connects your story to thousands of others and helps more people find the conversation.
Misinformation spreads fast, but truth can too, when enough of us share it. On Thursday, November 12, join people across the country in saying thanks, birth control. Tell the world which method you've used, what it's made possible, and what you wish had been easier.
Every story helps break the stigma, crowd out confusion, and connect more people to information they can trust. In a moment when access is under attack, that's worth celebrating out loud. Let's not let anyone take our birth control or our joy for it.
Share your story with #ThxBirthControl, and learn more about Thanks, Birth Control Day.
* While we use the term "women" to align with our data sources, which do not always collect information about sex or gender consistently, we recognize that contraception is used by people with diverse gender identities. Every person, regardless of their sex or gender identity, deserves access to the contraceptive care that meets their needs and preferences. Where possible, we use gender-inclusive language to represent the cisgender women, transgender men, nonbinary people, and other gender diverse people who need and use contraception.
