--- title: Influencer Posts With Alcohol Imagery May Increase Drinking Desires description: Viewing social media content that promotes alcohol use is associated with the desire to drink in young adults. image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/woman_phone_iStock-1415633743.jpg --- 2/24/26 3:12 PM # Influencer Posts With Alcohol Imagery May Increase Drinking Desires ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/influencer-posts-with-alcohol-imagery-may-increase-drinking-desires) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/influencer-posts-with-alcohol-imagery-may-increase-drinking-desires) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/influencer-posts-with-alcohol-imagery-may-increase-drinking-desires) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/influencer-posts-with-alcohol-imagery-may-increase-drinking-desires) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/influencer-posts-with-alcohol-imagery-may-increase-drinking-desires) ![woman_phone_iStock-1415633743](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/woman_phone_iStock-1415633743.jpg?width=220&height=147&name=woman_phone_iStock-1415633743.jpg)Viewing social media content that promotes alcohol use is associated with the desire to drink in young adults, according to a [research letter](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2845350) in *JAMA Pediatrics*.   **Why It’s Relevant** Many social media influencers, particularly lifestyle influencers, [post about alcohol](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6987445/) in a humorous or positive context, sometimes even hawking specific alcohol brands. Although prior research has shown a link between alcohol-promoting content on social media and alcohol-promoting attitudes and behaviors among young adults, most studies were not able to show causation and were limited by confounding variables.   **By the Numbers** - 2,000 adults ages 18 to 24 were assigned to view either 20 Instagram posts from lifestyle influencers that showed alcohol consumption or alcohol-promoting imagery such as holding a drink, or 20 posts from the same influencers without alcohol-related imagery. - Participants who viewed the posts with alcohol-related imagery had **1.73 times the odds of reporting a higher desire to drink** than those who looked at posts without alcohol-related imagery. - Those who reported using alcohol in the past 30 days were **more likely to report a higher desire to drink** upon viewing posts with alcohol-related imagery compared with those who didn’t use alcohol in the past 30 days. - After viewing posts with alcohol-related imagery, participants who perceived the influencers as highly credible had **5.53 times the odds of reporting a higher desire to drink** than those who didn’t perceive influencers as highly credible. **The Other Side** The study only examined immediate drinking desires and not whether exposure to alcohol-promoting content leads to increased drinking among viewers. Further, this experimental study only tested one type of post category on one social media platform.   **Takeaway Message** “Addressing social media’s role in shaping alcohol-related attitudes and behaviors may be critical for curbing alcohol consumption among young adults,” the researchers wrote. “Future research should examine how repeated exposure to alcohol-related content affects drinking intentions and behaviors over time and whether this association differs by content source (e.g., brand-generated advertising; peer- or influencer-generated posts).”   **Related Information** “[Exposure to Alcohol‐Related Content on Social‐Media](https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.prcp.20230009)”   **Source** Scott Donaldson, et. al. Exposure to alcohol-related social media content and desire to drink among young adults. *JAMA Pediatrics*. Published online February 23, 2026. doi: [10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.6335](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2845350)   (Image: Getty Images/iStock/FG Trade)   [alcohol](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/alcohol), [alcohol use disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/alcohol-use-disorder), [social media](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/social-media), [binge drinking](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/binge-drinking), [influencer](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/influencer), [instagram](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/instagram) ## Related Posts [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/messy_bed_iStock-1474168298.jpg?height=200&name=messy_bed_iStock-1474168298.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/many-young-adults-turn-to-cannabis-or-alcohol-as-sleep-aid) ## [Many Young Adults Turn to Cannabis or Alcohol as Sleep Aid](https://alert.psychnews.org/many-young-adults-turn-to-cannabis-or-alcohol-as-sleep-aid) 10/14/25 12:46 PM [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/many-young-adults-turn-to-cannabis-or-alcohol-as-sleep-aid) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/e-cigarette_iStock-515008419-Jun-24-2025-06-10-21-1274-PM.jpg?height=200&name=e-cigarette_iStock-515008419-Jun-24-2025-06-10-21-1274-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/08/youth-who-use-e-cigarettes-may-be-more.html) ## [Youth Who Use E-Cigarettes May Be More Likely to Use Marijuana, Study Finds](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/08/youth-who-use-e-cigarettes-may-be-more.html) 8/13/19 12:00 AM [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/08/youth-who-use-e-cigarettes-may-be-more.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/breastfeeding_iStock-860253578-Jun-24-2025-09-38-10-4554-PM.jpg?height=200&name=breastfeeding_iStock-860253578-Jun-24-2025-09-38-10-4554-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2018/08/consuming-alcohol-while-breastfeeding.html) ## [Consuming Alcohol While Breastfeeding May Lead to Cognitive Problems in Children](https://alert.psychnews.org/2018/08/consuming-alcohol-while-breastfeeding.html) 8/1/18 12:00 AM [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2018/08/consuming-alcohol-while-breastfeeding.html) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Psychiatric News Alert", "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert" }, "dateModified" : "2026-02-24T20:12:37.708Z", "datePublished" : "2026-02-24T20:12:37.000Z", "headline" : "Influencer Posts With Alcohol Imagery May Increase Drinking Desires", "image" : [ "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/woman_phone_iStock-1415633743.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/influencer-posts-with-alcohol-imagery-may-increase-drinking-desires", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/PN-Blue-Box.jpg" } } } ```