Teens frequently encounter alcohol industry- and influencer-generated alcohol content on social media platforms

Social media platforms popular with teens regularly expose them to alcohol-related content, and often that content is created by influencers or sources in the alcohol industry.

In a study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, high school students reported seeing alcohol-related content most commonly on Instagram, followed by TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat, with up to 40% of the alcohol-related content they viewed originating with influencers and up to 50% created by the alcohol industry.

The frequency and sources of the content, and teens' responses to it, varied by platform.

The findings from this study may help researchers tailor interventions to prevent teen drinking, which has been linked to exposure to alcohol content in the media. ...