The Influence Of Social Media On Teen Drug Abuse

Social media is addictive by nature, and especially so for vulnerable teens. Teenagers’ brains are still developing, and this development continues until the early 20s, when it begins to slow. With social media having similar effects on the brain as drugs and alcohol, there is concern about social media laying the foundation for substance abuse while also promoting and perpetuating teen drug abuse.

This article explores why social media is addictive to teens and how these platforms may influence substance abuse.

Popular Social Media Platforms Among Teens

Teenagers are among the most robust social media users. People ages 13 to 17, recognized as part of Generation Z or “Zoomers,” hardly know a world where social media wasn’t ever-present. Likewise, social media maintains its ubiquitous reputation quite robustly with teens. According to a recent U.S. surgeon general’s advisory, nearly all teens use social media (95%) and up to one-third do so almost constantly.

The most popular social media platforms used by teens include:

• TikTok
• YouTube
• Instagram
• Snapchat
• Discord

Social media is one of the main ways that teens access and share information about current events and trending topics. However, teenagers use social media for a myriad of other reasons, the foremost of which is building and maintaining connections.

Other reasons teens use social media include:

• accessing engaging content
• connecting with friends and family
• distracting themselves
• exploring their identity
• expressing themselves
• feeling a sense of belonging
• seeking approval
• sharing experiences

Social media use is so popular among this cohort that some teens use it persistently throughout the day. Findings from a survey conducted by Pew Research Center indicate that 17% use TikTok, 16% watch YouTube, and 14% use Snapchat almost all day long.

Time Teens Spend Using Social Media

Social media use for teens can vary according to many factors, such as their access—e.g., whether their parent or guardian sets limits on screen time or whether they have access to devices. However, the results of a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) revealed that teens spend nearly five hours on social media every day on average. Considering that teens generally finish school for the day between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., being on social media for five hours translates into the majority of their daily free time. Data from the Pew Research Center indicates that more than one-third (36%) of teens believe they spend too much time on social media and more than half (54%) think it would be somewhat hard to give up using social media.

How Social Media Influences Teen Drug Abuse

With social media consuming so much of teens’ time throughout the day, it creates a need to understand how social media influences their behavior and affects them mentally. Unfortunately, one of the adverse effects of social media is that it can influence teen drug abuse.

Social media influences teen drug abuse predominantly in two ways: it exposes teens to drugs and alcohol through access and glamorizing substance abuse, and it stirs feelings of loneliness, inadequacy, and depression, which can increase the desire for mental escape, reports HelpGuide.org. Exposure to substances is communicated via pictures, videos, and written content, as well as other content demonstrating the use of substances and potential access to these substances via the dark web or local street dealers. It is in teens’ nature to be curious, and once they learn that one of their favorite celebrities or influencers enjoys drinking or smoking, for example, they may be intrigued to do so themselves.

Social media also has a highly addictive quality to it. A 2019 study conducted by Michigan State University likened social media addiction to drug addiction, and that’s because social media use activates the reward center of the brain similarly to drug or alcohol addiction. When people engage with someone’s content—e.g., “liking” a Facebook photo or commenting on an Instagram story—it causes gratification. Over time, the individual learns to crave the instant gratification elicited by likes and comments, and the brain releases dopamine in response to them, according to the University of California at Irvine. The process is particularly concerning for teenagers, whose brains are still developing and who are highly susceptible to such influences. Because the brain’s response to social media mimics that of drug addiction, there is a question about whether it’ll make teens more susceptible to developing substance use disorder (SUD) in their lives.

Read on to learn more about the ways that social media influences teen drug abuse.

Peer Pressure And Social Media

Social media is the epicenter of masking. Masking is the act of hiding oneself—personality, feelings, lifestyle, triumphs and challenges, etc.—to gain approval. There are phone applications designed to alter a person’s looks, as well as the background and imagery of photos, to present them as alluring and flawless. Young people, especially, learn to pose in ways that complement them most—and discard the photos that are less than desirable. A majority of social media influencers perpetuate this notion because many of them use their platforms to sell products, and thus their image must appeal to the masses. Although masking on social media is a well-known fact, it’s often easy to forget—and for teens, these images of perfection, fun, or enticement can be especially convincing.

With social media being used so often, it’s common for young people to know if and when parties are happening, and which friends are attending these parties. It’s easy for photos to associate the notion of coolness with parties, drinking, and drug use. People rarely share photos from the end of the night and the aftermath, which may involve passing out, vomiting, and impulsive decision-making. The focus is instead on the exaggerated “glamour” of partying and substance use. Not being in attendance can stir feelings of “FOMO”—fear of missing out—and cause those who aren’t invited to feel self-conscious and bad about themselves. As a desire to fit in, vulnerable teens may feel compelled to partake in similar behaviors, hoping that it’ll unite them with the “cool” crowd or simply make them feel “a part of.”

One of the most obvious and recent trends that skyrocketed in popularity despite its known risks is vaping. It’s common on social media for teens to take photos of themselves holding and/or using vape products. It’s also a common technique for vape companies to hire social media influencers to perpetuate use of their products.

Advertisements

Social media advertisements are both rampant and insidious. Some advertisements are obvious and appear in between scrolls or look similar to traditional ads, but others aren’t so obvious; another trick of influencers. An influencer may post about their day, for example, and call attention to a pair of earrings or a cell phone case—and unbeknown to followers, these are products they’re contracted to sell. Advertisements for booze and even marijuana are common on social media, especially if teens are following people and companies that sell these products. The in-your-face product placement through repetitive advertisements can influence teens’ minds in a cunning way, beyond their conscious thought.

Heightened Access To Drugs

Social media can dramatically increase teens’ access to drugs. For one, social media can make teens aware of who is and isn’t smoking, drinking, or using drugs. This lets teens know who they can contact if they are interested in experimenting with substances, and how to reach these individuals. For tech-savvy teens, social media can connect them with the resources to learn how to utilize the dark web, and find and order illicit substances on this platform themselves.

Mental Health And Social Media

Despite the popularity of social media use among teens, it’s no surprise that frequent use is detrimental to their mental health. Findings from the above-mentioned APA survey indicate that 41% of teens with the highest levels of social media use consider themselves to have poor or very poor mental health. Further, the percentage of teens who experience body image issues is almost tripled among those who use social media the most compared with those who use it the least (17% vs. 6%), and the percentage who experience suicidal thoughts or self-harm is doubled (10% vs. 5%).

Mental health is especially affected by the masking of people living a faux ideal life, the constant comparison of oneself to others, and the limited interpersonal interactions. These factors and more can lead to feelings of loneliness, FOMO, and inadequacy. In an effort to appear perfect, teens may post pictures that portray themselves as perfect, but when they don’t match up to this image in real life, they ultimately feel worse, Child Mind Institute reports. The more access teens have to social media, and the more they are exposed to this sort of content, the greater the likelihood of the risks they may face as a result.

Government Intervention Strategies

Implications of teens’ social media use has attracted the attention of policymakers. The only federal law concerning social media is the Communications Decency Act (CDA), which aims to prevent minors from accessing pornographic material online. Apart from CDA, each state has its own regulations or lack thereof regarding teens and social media use. Currently, there aren’t any laws in the state of Massachusetts determining guidelines for social media use among teens. However, earlier this year, the state of Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against Meta, the company that owns Facebook, for making false statements about the safety of its Instagram platform.

Managing Teens’ Social Media Use

Social media use and safety is largely at the discretion of parents and caregivers. Guardians can set parental controls on their teens’ devices that limit their use of a device and/or their access to certain applications and websites. Teens are incredibly tech-savvy and may find their way around controls, which presents an opportunity to have conversations about social media.

It’s important to educate teens about how social media is largely advertising, and that the majority of content is creative at best; it’s not real and doesn’t reflect truths, actual scenarios, and/or accurate personalities. Even personal social media accounts with few followers can be thought of as advertising because most people only post their personal “highlight reel” of accomplishments and special moments. Most people don’t post pictures of their toughest days or battles with mental or physical illness, even though it’s their reality. Explaining to teens that social media is largely entertainment and advertising, not reality, can encourage them to develop their own opinions and not become consumed with these platforms.

It’s also critical to set limits, if possible, for screen time. For teens, options may include no screen time after 9 p.m. on school nights and 10 p.m. on weekends, and no screen time during family meals at the table and family outings, for example. Every family will determine what works best for them and their teen. Some teens, by nature, may be more drawn to social media than others.

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