(WXYZ) — In today’s Health Alert, researchers are taking a closer look at whether childhood social media habits may influence later behavior. A new study found that kids with earlier and increasing social media use were more likely to report trying substances during their teen years.
The findings from this published study are something that parents should be aware of.
Now, researchers followed more than 7,000 children between the ages of 9 and 11 for about five years. They tracked their social media use over that time, and here’s what stood out. The teens whose social media use increased over time were more likely to report experimenting with alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis later on.
The strongest association was seen in the group of kids who started earlier and used social media more - about three or more hours a day. They had about 17 times higher odds of reporting cannabis experimentation and 14 times the odds of tobacco experimentation compared with the very-low-use group.
Social media can expose kids to several factors: alcohol and vaping marketing, posts that make substance use look fun or harmless, and peer content that makes it seem more normal. And because what they see is mostly positive and doesn’t show the consequences, kids may get a distorted picture of the risks.
As for parents, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the “5 C’s”:
- know your CHILD because every child reacts differently to media
- pay attention to CONTENT
- help kids find other ways to CALM themselves,
- look for what media may be CROWDING OUT
- and start COMMUNICATION early and talk often
Now, I’d like to point out that this study does not prove social media causes substance use. It only shows a link. But healthy digital habits start at home, and involved parents can make a real difference.
