Social media and substance use in youth: app-specific associations in the ABCD study

Increased use of social media by youth is a significant public health concern. Youth are commonly exposed to positive depictions of substance use online and that exposure is associated with substance use. However, little research has evaluated whether common smartphone applications are differentially associated with substance use. The present study evaluated associations between time spent on common social media applications and substance use in adolescents. Data were drawn from a subsample of the nationally-diverse cohort in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study and began at the first wave at which sensor-based smartphone data were available (n = 1,522; Waves 4-6, age 13-16). Associations between substance use and daily hours on 6 applications were calculated at analytical baseline (Wave 4-6; n = 1,522), and one year afterward (Wave 5 or 6; n = 1,121). Cross-sectional analyses evaluated associations between use of each application and alcohol, nicotine/tobacco, and cannabis use at analytical baseline. For those who reported substance use at analytical baseline, prospective analyses tested associations between use of each application and substance use one year later. Across analyses, we found positive associations between hours of Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram use and multiple measures of substance use, while YouTube hours were negatively associated with substance use. Findings may be related to platform-based differences in exposure to positive messages about substance use, and also to adolescents' motives for using each platform. Findings suggest a need for a nuanced approach to the development of prevention and intervention programs designed to address social media impacts on adolescent substance use.