Kids who spend 3+ hours a day on social media more likely to experiment with drugs, study finds

A new study suggests children who begin using social media at a younger age and spend more time on it may be more likely to experiment with alcohol, tobacco and cannabis during adolescence.

The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, followed more than 7,100 children from ages 9 to 11 through ages 13 to 16 as part of the ongoing Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Researchers tracked social media use over several years and examined whether it was associated with substance use experimentation later in adolescence.

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Researchers identified four patterns of social media use, ranging from little or no use to early-onset, rapidly increasing use. Teens in the highest-use group had significantly greater odds of experimenting with alcohol, nicotine and cannabis compared to those with little or no social media use.

According to the study, adolescents in the early-onset, rapidly increasing social media group had nearly 17 times the odds of trying cannabis and about 14 times the odds of experimenting with nicotine products compared to their peers with little or no social media use. The highest-use group was generally associated with social media use of three hours or more per day.

Researchers cautioned that the findings do not prove social media causes substance use. However, the study found a strong association even after accounting for factors such as age, sex, race, household income, parental education, mental health symptoms and other screen time.

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The authors said the results highlight the importance of helping children develop healthy digital habits during early adolescence.

“These findings underscore the need for public health strategies that support healthier digital habits during early adolescence,” the researchers wrote.

Health experts have increasingly raised concerns about the effects of excessive social media use on young people. Previous research has linked higher social media use to increased symptoms of depression, attention problems and other mental health challenges among adolescents.