Viewing boozy posts on social media is linked to young people's desire to drink

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-02-24 03:00

International

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Viewing pro-alcohol content on social media is linked to young people's desire to drink, according to international research. The researchers asked people to watch either 20 Instagram posts from influencers that showed them drinking alcohol or holding alcoholic drinks, or 20 social media posts from the same influencers but without any alcohol-related imagery. Those who viewed the plonk-filled posts were more likely to report a higher desire to drink than those in the control group. The authors say this adds to research showing that exposure to alcohol-promoting content, particularly on social media, is associated with alcohol-promoting attitudes and behaviours in young adults.

News release

From: JAMA

Exposure to Alcohol-Related Social Media Content and Desire to Drink Among Young AdultsJAMA Pediatrics

About The Study: Exposure to alcohol-promoting social media content was associated with desire to drink across varying levels of prior alcohol use, and social media influencers may contribute to normalization of alcohol consumption among young people. This experimental evidence adds to a growing body of research showing that exposure to alcohol-promoting content, particularly on social media, is associated with alcohol-promoting attitudes and behaviors in young adults.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Pediatrics

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, USA

Funder: This research was supported by grant P30CA072720 from the National Cancer Institute and by the Rutgers Cancer Institute.

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