Social media can be beneficial or otherwise. Seeing tobacco-related content on social media might make people, especially young people, think positively about tobacco products and brands. This positive influence could lead to trying or continuing to use tobacco. A study reviewed many studies to understand how exposure to tobacco content on social media relates to lifetime tobacco use, recent tobacco use, and the likelihood of trying tobacco among those who never used it before.
Researchers searched online databases for studies about tobacco, social media, and marketing. They looked at things like research design, methods, and demographics. Out of 897 articles found, 29 studies were included in the review.
The study involved 139,624 people, mostly adolescents (72%), young adults (15%), and adults (13%). Those who saw tobacco content on social media were more likely to report using tobacco in their lifetime, in the past 30 days, and being open to trying it for the first time.
The results showed that exposure to tobacco content on social media was linked to a 2.18 times higher chance of lifetime tobacco use, a 2.19 times higher chance of past 30-day tobacco use, and a 2.08 times higher chance of trying tobacco among never users. This suggests that social media exposure plays a significant role in encouraging tobacco use among young people.
The study recommends that prevention education programs are needed to counter the influence of tobacco-related content on social media. These programs should work to show that using tobacco is not normal or okay. Future research should look more into how different social media platforms affect tobacco use. The findings from this study could help policymakers create rules to limit tobacco-related content on social media, which might help reduce tobacco-related behaviors among young people.
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Reference
Scott I. Donaldson, Allison Dormanesh, Cindy Perez, Anuja Majmundar, Jon-Patrick Allem. Association Between Exposure to Tobacco Content on Social Media and Tobacco Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr. 2022;176(9):878-885. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.2223