The likelihood of smoking and vaping in children and young people is associated with social media use

Researchers from the respiratory journal Thorax found that the more time children and young people spend on social media, the more likely they are to start smoking or using e-cigarettes.

The study finds that spending seven or more hours on social media on a weekday is associated with a more than double risk of smoking or vaping among young people aged 10 to 25. The findings raise concerns about the influence of marketing on these platforms.

Most studies on this topic have been conducted in the US, so the researchers decided to look at the situation in the UK using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study from 2015 to 2021. Participants were asked about their usual weekday social media use, as well as their current smoking and vaping.

Of the 10,808 participants who provided a total of 27,962 observations, just over 8.5% reported current smoking, 2.5% vaping, and just over 1% dual use.

The analysis found that smoking, vaping and dual use were more common among those who spent more time on social media. For example, 2% of those who did not use social media smoked, while nearly 16% of those who spent seven or more hours a day on social media smoked.

The likelihood of smoking, vaping and dual use also increased with time spent on social media. Those who spent less than one hour a day on social media were 92% more likely to smoke than those who did not use it at all, and those who spent seven or more hours a day were more than 3.5 times more likely to smoke.

The study also found that men, those under the legal age to purchase and those from higher income households were more likely to use e-cigarettes. However, this is an observational study and therefore no firm conclusions can be drawn about causal factors. The researchers also acknowledged that the study relied on self-reported data and that they did not have information about specific social media platforms or how they were used.

However, the researchers suggest several explanations for their findings. First, cigarette and vape companies use social media to advertise their products, which may increase the likelihood of their use among young people. Second, social media use may share similarities with reward-seeking behavior, which increases susceptibility to other addictive behaviors, such as smoking. Third, social media, which is largely unmonitored by parents, may encourage rule-breaking behavior, including smoking and vaping.

The researchers conclude that social media companies have significant power to alter exposure to content that promotes smoking and vaping, and that voluntary codes are unlikely to be effective enough. They suggest considering introducing and enforcing bans on content promoting such products.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Kim Lavoie of the University of Montreal expresses concern about the popularity of e-cigarettes and vaping among youth, emphasizing the importance of regulating advertising and algorithms that target underage users.

Source: Medical Xpress