Social Media’s Impact on Underage Drinking: Youth Culture’s New “Alcohol Identity”

Underage drinkingGuest Blog by Dr. Crystal Collier, Director of the Choices Prevention Program & Prevention Research for The Council on Recovery

Social media is social life for today’s youth. The majority of all social networking platform users are between the ages of 18-29 years old, with 92% of teens aged 13-17 going online every day. Today, being online means exposure to non-regulated alcohol advertising, pro-alcohol messages, and images of drinking behavior that reach underage online social media users. Adolescents who use social media (~70% nationwide) are more likely to engage in alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use when compared to their offline peers. Continue reading “Social Media’s Impact on Underage Drinking: Youth Culture’s New “Alcohol Identity””