What you see online may shape what you pour in your glass.
A new analysis published in The Lancet Public Health found that teens and young adults exposed to alcohol promotions on social media were about twice as likely to drink or binge drink as those who weren’t. The findings come from a review of 31 studies involving more than 62,000 people and offer a closer look at how online marketing can influence real-world behavior.
“There’s growing evidence that it’s not how long you spend on social media but what content you see that affects you,” said Jon-Patrick Allem, an associate professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and a senior author of the study. “Young people being exposed to alcohol promotions online is associated with alcohol use across different contexts and populations.”
Lead author Scott Donaldson, an assistant professor of general internal medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, said the analysis showed a consistent signal across countries and age groups.
“Across this international sample, those who saw alcohol marketing online were about twice as likely to report drinking or binge drinking,” he said.
Researchers noted that while youth drinking has declined overall in recent years, social media algorithms still amplify alcohol content, showing users more of what they linger on.
“Algorithmic amplification means a small cue can be shown again and again,” Allem said.
The meta-analysis found that exposure to digital alcohol marketing was linked to roughly 75% higher odds of reporting alcohol use in the past 30 days and 80% higher odds of binge drinking. Even among people who had never used alcohol, exposure increased the likelihood of future drinking.
Many of the studies included were cross-sectional, meaning they could detect associations but not prove cause and effect. Still, Allem’s team is now conducting experimental research to explore how exposure shapes intentions and behavior over time.
“Subtle cues can move intentions,” he said. “We need ecologically valid experiments that track behavior over time.”
The authors say their findings could guide stronger safeguards for youth. Social media platforms already collect detailed user data that could limit alcohol ad exposure, but enforcement is inconsistent.
“They could solve this overnight,” Allem said. “The question is will, not capability.”
The study was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. One author, Allem, reported consulting fees for court cases involving social media content; all other authors declared no competing interests.