Alcohol on social media feeds increases cravings for booze in 18-24 year olds

Short influencer videos with alcohol in the frame can markedly increase the desire to drink in young viewers. Researchers at Rutgers Health and Harvard University came to this conclusion: they conducted a randomised experiment and measured reactions immediately after viewing.

Young adults 18-24 years old participated in the study. They were randomly divided into two groups and each person was shown a feed of 20 short lifestyle-influencer posts, similar to a regular social media scroll. In one feed, the Influencers were drinking alcohol or holding a drink, while the other had almost the same scenes from the same authors but without alcohol (e.g. cocoa instead of wine).

The result: participants who saw alcohol in the posts were more likely to report having the urge to drink-about 73% more often thanthe control group. The clips were not "direct advertising" for alcohol: they looked like normal everyday life.

The strongest effect was observed in those who thought the Influencers were honest, trustworthy and competent: in this group, an increase in the desire to drink was more than 5 times more likely after watching "alcoholic" commercials.

The authors emphasise a limitation: the experiment shows a spike in desire immediately after viewing, but does not automatically prove that a person will actually go drinking. However, the work adds to the argument that it is important to consider not only "how much time" young people spend on social networks, but also what kind of content they see.