Adolescents who see their friends partying or drinking on social networking sites are more likely to smoke and use alcohol, according to a Sep. 3, 2013 peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Adolescent Health. While viewing friends’ online pictures of smoking or drinking “significantly contributed” to adolescent smoking and drinking, the frequency of social media use and the number of online friendships were not associated with those behaviors.

The National Institutes of Health-sponsored study, “Peer Influences: The Impact of Online and Offline Friendship Networks on Adolescent Smoking and Alcohol Use,” surveyed 1,563 10th-grade students across five Southern California high schools. Researchers coded smoking and alcohol use into 5-point scores ranging from “not susceptible” to “daily smoker/drinker.” Students were asked about the frequency of their own social media use, and asked to name seven best friends and describe their smoking, drinking, and social media behavior.

34% of students have at least one friend who talks about partying online and 20% report that their friends post party/drinking pictures online.

“Exposure to risky online content had a direct impact on adolescents’ risk behaviors and significantly interacted with risk behaviors of their friends,” according to the study’s authors. “These results provide evidence that friends’ online behaviors should be considered a viable source of peer influence and that increased efforts should focus on educating adolescents on the negative effects of risky online displays.”

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