The ABC reports that young people are exposed to a concerning amount of social media content that promotes alcohol, e-gigarette and other drug use, which could be a gateway to substance use.

A study, published in the journal Addiction, reviewed 73 studies which covered 16 million substance-related posts across Twitter, You Tube, Instagram, Pintrest, Tik Tok and Weibo. It found that 76% of the posts depicted substance use positively, which was ‘concerning’ because young people were the most vulnerable and most prolific consumers of social media – spending an average of eight hours a day online.

Programs Manager for the Ted Noffs Foundation, Lachlan Dean, commented that, ‘We have found that a young person’s five closest friends tended to have the biggest influence on their decisions.’

He added, ‘Social media content that teaches viewers how to access substances online is a concerning trend that is impacting drug use.’

Read the full article here:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-15/concern-social-media-content-leads-to-substance-use-young-people/101437684

Photo credit: (ABC News: Emma Groves)