Does Social Media Influence Teen Substance Use?

Question: How do social media trends, particularly ones that glamorize substance use behavior, contribute to substance use in teens? How can parents effectively address concerns about substance use in this environment?

Answer: While social media can be a great place for teens to connect with friends and stay informed, there is also the chance that they may come across substance-related content, especially posts that glamorize it. Let’s explore the relationship between substance-related content online and teens and consider ways parents can respond.

How does substance use show up on social media?

There are 4 main ways that this content is present on social media.

• Advertisements: Luckily, there are limitations and rules around what advertisements can be shown to youth who are underage for that substance. This is a good reminder to encourage your child to be honest about their age on their social media profile to prevent ads being shown for things like tobacco and alcohol.
• Marketing: Marketing on social media is usually accomplished through business profiles. A company, such as an alcohol, vaping, or cannabis company, can create a profile on a social media platform. Other social media users can then follow that profile and get their content on their feed. This is concerning because a previous research study found that these business profiles do not consistently follow the rules and guidelines about what they can share about their product. For example, one previous study found that profiles from cannabis businesses used specific approaches to attract youth to their content, profile, and products.
• Content generated by others: This type of content may be shared by peers, celebrities, or other people that an individual youth sees on social media. This content may include experiences, information, perspectives, and funny content like memes.
• User-generated content: User-generated content refers to content that the teen creates and shares on their profile.

Content Trends

While specific trends related to substance use may change over time, substance-related content has long been present on social media and traditional media such as in TV and movies.  Substance-related content on social media can come from companies that sell alcohol or marijuana products or content commonly posted by peers.

• One study of college students’ Facebook profiles found that: 
• 99% of profiles contained alcohol references,  
• 39% contained tobacco references, and  
• 10% contained content about other illicit and illegal substances like cocaine or marijuana.

Posters may receive positive feedback from peers, which may encourage them to post more substance-related content and to engage in more substance-related behaviors offline.  

Portrayals of substance use on social media often focus on the positive aspects of substance use and rarely portray negative outcomes such as hangovers.

Influence on Substance Use

The over-representation of positive experiences and under-representation of negative outcomes may skew adolescents’ perceptions of the risks as those who are exposed to online content about substance use are more likely to use substances. For example, one study of 12-23 year-olds found that participants had significantly higher odds of substance use on days when they were shown substance-related content. In another study of 18-20-year-old undergraduate students, participants who posted references to intoxication and problem drinking on Facebook were more than 6 times as likely to report an alcohol-related injury in the last year compared to participants who did not post about intoxication and problem drinking. 

Tips for Parents:

While substance-related content on social media is common, parents and caregivers can support their teen in critically evaluating these influences to make healthier choices with the following tips: 

1. Encourage Media Literacy: Help your teen develop a critical eye when engaging with social media. Discuss how influencers or online content may misrepresent substance use or downplay its consequences. Teaching your teen to question what they see online empowers them to recognize glamorization and avoid being influenced by unrealistic portrayals.
2. Foster Open Dialogue: Consider asking teens non-judgmental, curious questions about the types of content they have seen online related to substance use. By listening and discussing without judgment, you can reduce defensiveness and encourage meaningful conversations about the risks and realities of substance use. These conversation starters are a great way to help you begin a discussion with your teen, especially if you're unsure how to get the conversation going.
3. Encourage Positive Peer Groups: Support your teen in connecting with positive, substance-free peer groups, whether online or offline. Community programs, extracurricular activities, or school-based initiatives can help reinforce healthy behaviors and provide a sense of belonging outside of social media.
4. Educate Yourself and Your Teens About Substance Use: Stay informed about illegal and illicit substances and how teens may be exposed to these substances. It is important to note that there are many factors beyond influence from social media that may impact substance use and experimentation among teens, for example, stress, transitions, or curiosity. The following resources may be helpful:
   • National Institute on Drug Abuse offers a variety of online resources about substance use, including resources specifically for parents and educators. 
   • SAMHSA’s “Talk. They Hear You.” campaign offers practical tips for parents on initiating conversations about substance use with their children, tailored to address media influences.
   • The article “More teens than ever are overdosing. Psychologists are leading new approaches to combat youth substance misuse” describes current approaches to addressing youth substance misuse and explains the history of past ineffective approaches (like D.A.R.E.). 
   • SAMHSA’s Digital Toolkits for Substance Use Prevention for Youth and College Students is a useful resource for teens and young adults. 
   • FindTreatment.gov – This confidential and anonymous resource provides information for persons seeking treatment for mental health concerns as well as substance use issues in the United States and its territories. 

Editor’s Note: We’d like to acknowledge the National Council on Mental Wellbeing’s partnership with the Center and their expert advice in helping draft this response.   

References 

• Curtis, B. L., Lookatch, S. J., Ramo, D. E., McKay, J. R., Feinn, R. S., & Kranzler, H. R. (2018). Meta-Analysis of the Association of Alcohol-Related Social Media Use with Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol-Related Problems in Adolescents and Young Adults. Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research, 42(6), 978–986.   
• Davis, J. P., Pedersen, E. R., Tucker, J. S., Dunbar, M. S., Seelam, R., Shih, R., & D'Amico, E. J. (2019). Long-term Associations Between Substance Use-Related Media Exposure, Descriptive Norms, and Alcohol Use from Adolescence to Young Adulthood. Journal of youth and adolescence, 48(7), 1311–1326.   
• Gansner, M., Horton, A. K., Singh, R., & Schuman-Olivier, Z. (2024). Exploring relationships between social media use, online exposure to drug-related content, and youth substance use in real time: a pilot ecological momentary assessment study in a clinical sample of adolescents and young adults. Frontiers in child and adolescent psychiatry, 3, 1369810.   
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• Moreno, M. A., Christakis, D. A., Egan, K. G., Brockman, L. N., & Becker, T. (2012). Associations between displayed alcohol references on Facebook and problem drinking among college students. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 166(2), 157–163.  
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• Rutherford, B. N., Lim, C. C. W., Johnson, B., Cheng, B., Chung, J., Huang, S., Sun, T., Leung, J., Stjepanović, D., & Chan, G. C. K. (2023). #TurntTrending: a systematic review of substance use portrayals on social media platforms. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 118(2), 206–217.     
• Steers, M. N., Moreno, M. A., & Neighbors, C. (2016). The Influence of Social Media on Addictive Behaviors in College Students. Current addiction reports, 3(4), 343–348.   
• van Hoof JJ, Bekkers J, van Vuuren M. (2014). Son, you’re smoking on Facebook! College students’ disclosures on social networking sites as indicators of real-life risk behaviors. Computers in Human Behavior, 34:249–57.     
• Whitehill, J. M., Trangenstein, P. J., Jenkins, M. C., Jernigan, D. H., & Moreno, M. A. (2020). Exposure to cannabis marketing in social and traditional media and past-year use among adolescents in states with legal retail cannabis. Journal of Adolescent Health, 66(2), 247-254.   
   

Age: 13- 17 

Topics: substance use behavior, substance use in teens, substance use and social media, impact of social media, social media influence 

Role: Parent