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Temporal Relationships between Smartphone Application Use and Online Substance Procurement in U.S. Youth
Meredith Gansner1,2, Margaret Adams1, Prakruthi Nikam2
1University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
Medrxiv : the Preprint Server for Health Sciences
|June 4, 2026
Summary
This study found that U.S. youth frequently use social media for online substance procurement (SP), with specific apps linked to drug and alcohol purchases. This highlights ongoing risks despite platform efforts to curb illicit activity.
Area of Science:
- Digital Health
- Adolescent Health
- Substance Use Research
Background:
- Online substance procurement (SP) poses significant risks to U.S. youth.
- Existing research on youth SP is limited and primarily cross-sectional, lacking temporal links between digital behaviors and SP.
- This study addresses the gap by examining longitudinal digital behaviors and online SP in adolescents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between specific smartphone application usage and online substance procurement (SP) in U.S. youth.
- To determine if digital media habits predict increased odds of online SP or contact regarding drug/alcohol procurement.
- To provide longitudinal data on youth SP and digital phenotyping.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal cohort study enrolled 112 U.S. youth (aged 15-20) with recent non-daily substance use.
- Participants used the EARS digital phenotyping smartphone application for 90 days, completing nightly surveys on online SP and substance use.
- Passive daily screen use data were collected alongside self-reported online experiences.
Main Results:
- Out of 106 participants analyzed, 28.3% (n=30) reported 91 instances of using social media for drug or alcohol acquisition over 3 months.
- Screen use data revealed temporal associations between social media SP and specific applications, including TikTok and encrypted messaging apps.
- School-specific social media platforms were also implicated in the observed patterns of online substance procurement.
Conclusions:
- This research provides crucial empirical evidence on youth online substance procurement (SP), moving beyond anecdotal reports.
- Underage youth continue to utilize social media platforms for acquiring drugs and alcohol, despite platform-implemented preventative measures.
- The findings underscore the need for continued research and intervention strategies targeting digital pathways for adolescent substance use.
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