Viewing social media content that promotes alcohol use is associated with the desire to drink in young adults, according to a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics.Why It’s Relevant
Many social media influencers, particularly lifestyle influencers, post about alcohol 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
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
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