Drug and Alcohol Usage

“Seventy-five percent of teens aged 12 to 17 claim that seeing pictures on social media depicting their friends and schoolmates drinking and using drugs motivated them to mimic the behaviors.” 

 

Viewing others’ alcohol-fueled antics also appears to be a popular form of entertainment on social media. Drunk People Doing Things, an online community that features photos and videos of drunken behavior and claims to be the “greatest collection of drunken behavior ever assembled,” has more than 2 million followers on Instagram.

 

Nearly half of all teens who were surveyed said they’d seen photos of kids drunk, passed out or high on drugs on social media. Teens who viewed such images were three times more likely to drink alcohol, four times more likely to use marijuana and much more susceptible to have friends and classmates who abuse illegal and prescription drugs.

 

All of this is partially instigated by toxic masculinity for men. Instagram promotes this and turns alcohol and drug usage into something that is "cool." It causes young men to start drinking to fit in and be "popular."