E-Cigarette and Cannabis Social Media Posts and Adolescent Substance Use

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Adolescent Health
• Social Media Research

Background:

• Adolescents frequently encounter e-cigarette and cannabis content on social media platforms.
• Understanding the association between this exposure and product use is crucial for developing effective public health interventions and regulations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between adolescent exposure to social media content featuring e-cigarettes and/or cannabis and their subsequent use of these products.
• To examine the relationship between exposure to content from various social media creators and e-cigarette, cannabis, or dual use among adolescents.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted: a longitudinal survey (Study 1) and a cross-sectional survey (Study 2) among California high school students.
• Study 1 assessed frequent exposure to social media posts and subsequent initiation of e-cigarette, cannabis, or dual use over one year.
• Study 2 examined exposure to posts from specific sources (friends, influencers, brands) and past-month use of e-cigarettes, cannabis, or dual use, using adjusted generalized estimating equations.

Main Results:

• Frequent exposure to cannabis social media posts was associated with increased initiation of e-cigarette, cannabis, and dual use.
• Exposure to e-cigarette content on TikTok was linked to higher rates of cannabis use and dual use initiation.
• Exposure to microinfluencer and friends' posts about e-cigarettes or cannabis was significantly associated with past-month cannabis use and/or dual use.

Conclusions:

• Exposure to e-cigarette and cannabis content on social media is associated with adolescent use of these substances.
• Findings suggest a need for enhanced social media community guidelines and policy attention to the marketing and co-use of e-cigarettes and cannabis to prevent youth substance use.