Just when we thought we had a handle on teen substance abuse (we did NOT), along comes social media to throw a digital wrench in the works. It turns out those shiny apps on our kids’ phones aren’t just for sharing selfies and dance videos – they’re inadvertently serving as virtual gateways to drug and alcohol experimentation. While health officials have been patting themselves on the back for decades of anti-drug campaigns, social media algorithms have been quietly undermining their efforts, one viral post at a time. Parents, educators, and health professionals, it’s time to face facts: we’ve got a new drug dealer in town, and it’s hiding in plain sight on every teenager’s home screen.
Widespread Positive Portrayals Normalising Substance Use
Researchers at the University of Queensland’s National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research (NCYSUR) have uncovered alarming trends in how drugs and alcohol are portrayed across major social media platforms popular with teens. Their analysis of over 15 million substance-related social media posts found that more than 75% depicted consumption positively, often associating it with humour, desirable lifestyles, and social acceptance.
On TikTok specifically, which has surged in popularity among young users, over half (54%) of cannabis-related videos and 63% of e-cigarette content promoted substance use favourably. Disturbingly, these videos collectively amassed over 1.1 billion views, all without any age restrictions limiting access.
Dr. Tianze Sun of NCYSUR emphasised how pervasive this content has become: “We found that the majority of the content is portraying vaping for instance in a humorous, exciting way, often with comedy and vaping tricks. They often reference desirable lifestyles and this content, when young people are exposed to it, does normalise vaping use as well.”
The research team tracked many of these substance-promoting videos over time, finding that 70% remained publicly viewable after 9 months and 63% were still accessible a full year later. This long-term availability allows harmful messages to continue reaching impressionable youth audiences.
Alcohol advertising is also highly prevalent, with one NCYSUR study finding that young people aged 17-25 were shown alcohol ads on Facebook or Instagram every 3 minutes on average. Even underage users were routinely exposed to this promotional content.
Undermining Public Health Progress
Health experts are concerned that the flood of pro-substance content on social media could reverse hard-won progress in reducing youth smoking, drinking and drug use rates. Dr. Daniel Stjepanovic of NCYSUR explained:
“You can have very positive representations of vaping, and even if this doesn’t lead to an epidemic of vaping among young people, it can still shift the perception enough to make it to help normalise this behaviour … which we’ve had several decades of very successful policies to reduce the smoking rate.”
He noted that while e-cigarettes can help some adult smokers quit, widespread promotion and use among teens risks undoing public health gains in tobacco control. The researchers found youth exposure to tobacco and e-cigarette social media content was associated with increased use, greater susceptibility to trying these products, and lower perceptions of health risks.
Similar trends were observed with alcohol and cannabis. Regular viewing of positive cannabis-related ads and social media posts has been shown to desensitise adolescents to potential harms, normalise use, and increase both initiation and escalation of cannabis consumption among teens.
Algorithmic Amplification of Substance Content
A particularly troubling aspect is how social media recommendation algorithms can amplify exposure to drug and alcohol-related content. The NCYSUR team found that after viewing some substance-related posts for research purposes, over 90% of content subsequently recommended to their accounts glamorised drug and alcohol use.
While most platforms have policies prohibiting the promotion of illegal drugs, in practice enforcement is limited. Researchers noted that banned content often remains accessible to those who know what search terms to use. The proprietary nature of social media algorithms also makes it difficult for outside parties to scrutinise how substance-related content is being spread and amplified.
Social Media as a Marketplace for Illegal Substances
Beyond normalising substance use, social media platforms have evolved into distribution channels for obtaining illegal drugs, including among underage users. NCYSUR’s investigation uncovered e-cigarette products being covertly marketed on Facebook Marketplace, disguised as “fruit” listings but appearing in searches for vape brands known to contain nicotine.
These listings often provided seller contact information, bulk purchase discounts, and door-to-door delivery options – all without age verification measures. Similar practices were observed on Instagram and TikTok, with detailed information on how to purchase e-cigarettes and other substances.
The ease of finding and purchasing drugs via social media is alarming to public health officials. It allows teens to obtain substances independently of local community connections or peer groups that may have previously limited access. Online purchases also carry additional risks, as the provenance and purity of substances acquired through social media are uncertain.
Exploitation and Safety Concerns
The intersection of adolescent substance use and social media activity creates new avenues for potential exploitation and safety risks. Academic literature has noted concerning examples of youth exchanging drugs for sex. The sharing of explicit images and development of substance use disorders can make teens vulnerable to blackmail by unscrupulous sellers.
There are also safety concerns for those selling drugs via social media, with some dealers reporting carrying firearms to mitigate risks of violence during transactions. The anonymous nature of online interactions may embolden some individuals to engage in more aggressive or predatory behaviour.
Dr. Stjepanovic emphasised that while vaping products obtained through social media may help some adults quit smoking, “very broad use could undo some of those gains in terms of reducing smoking rates.” The lack of regulation and age restrictions online makes it challenging to limit access only to appropriate adult users.
Inadequate Platform Safeguards
Despite claims of protecting minors, investigations have revealed significant shortcomings in social media companies’ efforts to restrict youth access to harmful content. The Tech Transparency Project found that many Instagram accounts for users under 16 were set to public by default, contrary to the platform’s stated policies.
Even when certain drug-related hashtags are banned, researchers observed that platforms like Instagram would autofill alternative hashtags for the same substances, effectively guiding users to drug content. Parent activist Samuel Chapman, whose son died from a fentanyl overdose linked to drugs acquired via social media, described Snapchat as “the dark web for children now,” with dealers posing as teens to network within schools.
Call for Stronger Regulation and Oversight
In light of these findings, health experts and advocates are calling for more robust regulation of social media platforms to protect young users. Recommendations include:
- Implementing stronger age verification measures to restrict youth access to substance-related content.
- Developing more sophisticated systems to detect and remove posts promoting illegal substances, including the use of artificial intelligence to identify coded language and imagery.
- Imposing stricter content moderation policies and age restrictions on substance-related material across all major platforms.
- Exploring legal and regulatory frameworks to hold both domestic and foreign social media companies accountable, potentially including fines or other penalties for non-compliance.
- Increasing transparency around social media algorithms and how they may amplify substance-related content.
- Collaborating with public health agencies to develop and promote anti-substance use campaigns tailored for social media.
Leveraging Social Media for Prevention
While social media poses significant risks, some experts see potential in harnessing these platforms for substance use prevention and education. Government agencies and health organisations in the United States have launched anti-vaping campaigns on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, which may have contributed to recent declines in teen vaping rates.
However, these efforts are still vastly outnumbered by pro-substance content. Researchers emphasise the need for sustained investment in developing effective social media-based prevention strategies. This could involve partnering with social media influencers to create engaging anti-drug content or collaborating with young people to co-design relevant messaging that resonates with teen audiences.
The Australian government has begun experimenting with influencer-led campaigns to spark conversations among youth about the harms of vaping and nicotine addiction. While this approach leverages influencers’ authenticity and established audience relationships, experts caution that careful vetting and risk mitigation plans are necessary.
Closing the Gateway: Confronting Social Media’s Role in Teen Drug Use
Social media has become an unexpected ally in normalising substance use among our youth. It’s clear that the old playbook for drug prevention is about as effective as a flip phone in the age of smartphones. We need a new strategy that’s as sophisticated as the technology we’re up against.
This isn’t just about stricter parental controls or hoping kids will make good choices. We need a multi-pronged approach: holding social media companies accountable, overhauling content moderation practices, and creating prevention campaigns that don’t make teens roll their eyes. And yes, we might actually need to have real, honest conversations with our kids about drugs – imagine that. The bottom line is this: if we don’t adapt to this new digital landscape, we risk losing a generation to substance abuse 2.0. It’s time to stop underestimating the influence of social media and start taking concrete action.
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