Social media
With social media a big part of many young people’s lives, it can expose them to additional alcohol advertising and drug-related content.
Talk to your young person about what they see on social media and encourage them to think critically about it. You might ask them questions like:
- Do you think social media is an accurate representation of people’s lives, including alcohol or drugs?
- Do you think information on social media is reliable? Why/why not?
Let them know that social media can be inaccurate and misleading, especially when it comes to alcohol and other drugs.
Take the opportunity to ask them what they know about alcohol and other drugs and correct any false impressions. You can also show them where they can fact check drug-related info via our Drug Facts page
Alcohol advertising
Alcohol ads have been linked to young people starting to drink earlier, and heavy (binge) drinking.1-4
Alcohol ads or promotional content cannot target minors or young people under 25 years of age.5 But, alcohol advertising is poorly regulated, so your young person may be seeing ads they’re not supposed to.
There’re some practical things you can do to reduce this:
| Channel | Changing their settings | Reporting content |
|---|---|---|
| settings > ads > ad topics > search for ‘alcohol’ > click ‘see less’ | report > sale of illegal or regulated goods > drugs, alcohol or tobacco | |
| Tik Tok | profile > settings and privacy > ads > how your ads are personalised > food & beverage > turn off | hold down on video > report > illegal activity and regulated goods > drugs and controlled substances > submit |
| Snapchat | profile > settings > additional services (manage) > lifestyle & interests > scroll to bottom, turn off ‘alcohol’ under Ad Topics | hold down on snap and press Report > sale or use of drugs |
| Settings > Ads preferences > Ad Topics > See less – Alcohol | Report > something else > promoting drug use > submit |
If you see an alcohol ad which you believe violates the advertising code, make an official complaint to the ABAC (Responsible Alcohol Marketing Code) and the Alcohol Advertising Review Board (AARB).
For more info you can visit our alcohol advertising, social media and young people page.
Other drug content
While content related to illegal drugs is widely banned on social media platforms, this can be poorly enforced, and many social media users use slang or code words to get around platform rules or guidelines.
Social media content about drugs can be inaccurate, and sometimes glamorises drug use. A 2022 review found that 76% of substance-related content showed substance use positively.6
Although exposure to this content alone is unlikely to lead to drug use, it can impact young people’s understanding of drugs and their associated risks.
- Aiken A, Lam T, Gilmore W, Burns L, Chikritzhs T, Lenton S, et al. Youth perceptions of alcohol advertising: are current advertising regulations working? Aust N Z J Public Health [Internet]. 2018 [08.11.2022]; 42(3):[234-9 pp.].
- Noel JK, Sammartino CJ, Rosenthal SR. Exposure to Digital Alcohol Marketing and Alcohol Use: A Systematic Review. Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs Supplement [Internet]. 2020 [08.11.2022]; 19:[57-67 pp.].
- Jernigan D, Noel J, Landon J, Thornton N, Lobstein T. Alcohol marketing and youth alcohol consumption: a systematic review of longitudinal studies published since 2008. Addiction [Internet]. 2017 [08.11.2022]; 112(S1):[7-20 pp.].
- Noel JK, Babor TF, Robaina K. Industry self-regulation of alcohol marketing: a systematic review of content and exposure research. Addiction [Internet]. 2017 [08.11.2022]; 112(S1):[28-50 pp.].
- Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC). The ABAC Code [08.11.2022].
- Rutherford BN, Lim CCW, Johnson B, Cheng B, Chung J, Huang S, et al. #TurntTrending: a systematic review of substance use portrayals on social media platforms.Addiction (Abingdon, England) [Internet]. 2022.