Social media use at a young age is linked to earlier experimentation with drugs and alcohol
Adolescents in the highest-use group had nearly 17 times the odds of trying cannabis and 14 times the odds of trying tobacco, researchers said.
- New research published this week in The American Journal of Psychiatry links early, rapid social media use among adolescents to increased experimentation with alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis, according to lead author Dr. Jason M. Nagata, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco.
- Nagata tracked adolescents aged 9 to 16 over four years using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, identifying four distinct usage patterns where youths in the highest, earliest-use category faced nearly 17 times the odds of experimenting with cannabis and 14 times the odds of experimenting with tobacco.
- Nearly 77% of substance-related content on social media appears favorable, Nagata said, while nearly 61% of peers share alcohol content despite the 13-year minimum age requirement for most platforms, potentially biasing adolescents toward favorable substance beliefs.
- Courtney Blackwell, associate professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, noted the study's longitudinal strength but cautioned that findings show correlation, not causation, as peers and family environments also influence adolescent behavior.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends establishing family media plans and maintaining open communication rather than strict usage bans, suggesting parents model healthy behavior and introduce high-quality shared activities to crowd out excessive phone time.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Avni Trivedi, CNN - The minimum age requirement for most social media platforms is 13, but nearly 40% of children between the ages of 8 and 12 use social media. Doing so could lead these preteens to experiment with drugs and alcohol earlier. New research published this week in The American Journal of Psychiatry reveals that the earlier and more rapidly teenagers use social media, the more likely they are to experiment with substances such as alc…
The minimum age required for most social media platforms is 13 years, but almost 40% of adolescents between the ages of 8 and 12 use social networks. To do this can lead these pre-teens to experiment with drugs and alcohol earlier. A new research published this week in The American Journal of Psychiatry found that the sooner and faster the adolescents use social networks, the greater the probability of experimenting with substances such as alcoh…
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