Social Media and Substance Abuse

As the years since the advent of social media have passed, we are learning more about the good, the bad, and the ugly related to this ever-present influence in the lives of our kids. New research from the University of South Queensland in Australia have found that teenagers who frequently use social media are three times more likely to try cannabis than those who use social media occasionally. Published in the Journal of Substance Abuse and Addiction Treatment, the study has links high social media use by teenagers with increased impulsivity and risk-taking, two aspects of teen life that already exist! These behaviors are both strongly associated with substance abuse experimentation. What do our kids encounter on social media? They encounter peer influence, trends, and other content that normalizes risk-taking and the use of substances. Parents, this is one more reminder of the fact that we need to peel our kids away from screens. Are you setting borders and boundaries?