How Social Media Could Be Contributing To Drug and Alcohol Abuse Among Teens

The Link Between Drug Abuse and Social Media

Alcohol and drug abuse were commonly portrayed in a negative light in the traditional media of the past, and in the days before social networking sites, many people didn’t know much about substance abuse. Even the images in alcohol adverts were carefully censored to ensure they didn’t glamorise drinking.

However, if you’re a young person who logs into a social network, you’re likely to see drugs and alcohol portrayed in a positive, even aspirational way. Whether it’s someone smoking a joint, or people drinking shots and partying, there are many subtle ways in which alcohol and drugs are portrayed as fun and exciting.

It’s not just peers that teenagers see using these substances, as many celebrities often show themselves binge drinking and partying too. This makes drinking and drug abuse seem normal, and something that everyone does, perhaps even making them feel like they’re the only person who doesn’t do these things.

Another issue is that social media makes it much easier to buy drugs and stay in touch with dealers. Before social media, people usually obtained drugs from friends of friends, but it’s now possible to buy drugs on social media, with coded adverts advertising illegal and prescription drugs and even imported alcohol and cigarettes.

Young people can easily use encrypted messengers to get in touch with dealers, making it less likely that their parents or the police will find out. Social media has made drug and alcohol use much more visible to teenagers.

Ease of Access to Alcohol and Drugs

Many social media sites now offer buying and selling pages, whether it’s a Facebook group, marketplace listings, private Tumblr pages, or even WhatsApp groups. Billions of people use these services every day, and while most listings are mundane things, a little bit of searching will soon bring you across items such as prescription and illegal drugs.

Social media sites have strict rules banning these sorts of transactions, but unfortunately, this can be difficult to moderate. Unless someone reports a group, it can easily go unnoticed, and even if the user is banned, they can easily create another free account and start again.

Facebook pages exist that can only be accessed by invitation, where drugs could be ordered to be delivered straight to someone’s door. This could be a very attractive prospect to a teenager who wants to buy alcohol or drugs but doesn’t want to go to a backstreet dealer.

Alcohol is also advertised through social media and TV which can have negative implications for impressionable teens.

Dangers of the Dark Web

Many substance abusers also turn to the dark web to get hold of their substance of choice. A huge chunk of the content on the web isn’t accessible by mainstream search engines such as Google, and this content is often referred to as the deep or dark web. Here, criminal activity can thrive, and you can buy anything from credit card numbers to weapons, but illegal drugs are one of the most common purchases.

Unfortunately, many parents aren’t up to date with this sort of technology and may not even know that their teenager is using the dark web until they’ve developed a drug addiction. Because drugs are sent in plain packaging, any teenager with a few IT skills could potentially buy any illicit substances that they want.

An Addiction to Social Media

Social media itself can also be addictive and impact the mental health of teens, as likes and retweets have been shown to have a pleasurable effect on the brain. This addiction can also have a downside, with studies showing it can contribute to depression, insomnia, and isolation in teenagers.

There could even be a link between these kinds of behaviours and substance abuse in later life, making teenagers more vulnerable to drug addiction or alcoholism.

So, what can parents do in these situations? Monitoring and controlling your teenager’s access to social media can be a good start, although a determined teen will still find a way to access these sites.

Education and honest chats about drink and drug use are likely to be more effective, showing teenagers that the reality of addiction isn’t how it’s portrayed on social media.

It’s also important for parents to look out for the early signs of drinking or drug abuse in their teenagers, allowing them to intervene and seek professional help if necessary. From this article you should be able to tell how social media could be contributing to drug and alcohol abuse in teens – get support today if you need it.