Teenagers who spend 30 minutes or more on social media every day more at risk of binge drinking, study shows
- Glasgow University report shows 14-year-olds who spent half an hour using social media more like to drink aged 17
Teenagers are more likely to become binge drinkers if they spend just 30 minutes a day on social media, a study has found.
The researchers looked at how long 14-year-olds spent on apps such as Facebook and WhatsApp, then linked it with their booze habits at 17.
Overall, those who had been on social media for at least 30 minutes a day were more likely to consume alcohol regularly and binge drink, which was classed as having five or more drinks at a time.
More than 8,000 youngsters from across the UK took part in the University of Glasgow research, which was published in the European Journal of Public Health.
Lead author Dr Amrit Kaur Purba now wants official advice to be issued on social media usage.
Spending more time on social media can cause binge drinking in teenagers new report shows
Teenagers who spend 30 minutes a day on social media are susceptible to binge drinking when older
He said: ‘Our study suggests social media use may increase risk of alcohol use and binge drinking, with evidence the longer young people spend on it the more likely they are to use alcohol by age 17.
These findings add more weight to the argument that we need to create better tailored guidance for the length of time young people should spend on social media, as well as prioritising regulation around how alcohol-related content is displayed to young users.’
The UK’s Chief Medical Officers published guidance on screen time in 2019. They said that although there was not enough evidence to support ‘optimal amounts’ of social media use, phones should be left outside children’s bedrooms at night and not be used at family mealtimes.
They admitted existing research showed an association between screen time and mental health issues but there was a lack of evidence that increased screen time caused such problems.
However, the latest study will lend support to such a hypothesis.
It shows youngsters who spent between 30 and 60 minutes on social media each day were 62 per cent more likely to drink alcohol six or more times a month, and 51 per cent more likely to binge drink than those teenagers who had spent less than 30 minutes on social media each day at age 14.
As the amount of time spent on social media increased, so did the likelihood of alcohol use.
Adolescents who spent two or more hours a day on social media were almost five times more likely to drink than those who spent less than 30 minutes online.
The researchers say social media may ‘facilitate drinking’ as youngsters show off their boozing antics in posts while popular apps also expose them to the marketing and advertising of alcohol.
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