Excessive Social Media Use Tied to Substance Experimentation in US Pre-Teens

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

As teens continue to spend more time on screens and social media, a new study finds that among 11-12-year-olds, excessive time online is associated with early experimentation with substances like alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis.

Published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, the study shows that adolescents who spend more time on social media, texting, and video chatting are more likely to experiment with alcohol, nicotine, or cannabis one year later. In contrast, time spent on other types of screen activities—such as video gaming, browsing the internet, or watching TV, movies, or videos—was not linked to the same risks.

“Our findings suggest that online social connections may be driving the relationship between screen time and early adolescent substance use,” explains first author, Jason M. Nagata, MD, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. “When preteens are constantly exposed to friends or influencers drinking or smoking on social media, they are more likely to see these behaviors as normal and may be more likely to try these substances themselves.”

The study collected data for 8,006 early adolescents aged 11-12 years old. Study participants provided information about their typical screen habits, as well as whether they had ever experimented with alcohol, nicotine, or cannabis.

“This study emphasizes the importance of understanding how digital social interactions impact teen behavior,” Nagata concluded. “Future research can deepen our understanding of these links to help create effective interventions.”

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-excessive-social-media-substance-experimentation.html