Research & Resources

Nine virtual semi-structured focus groups were conducted with adolescents (ages 15–19 years), following a general script aimed at ascertaining adolescent perspectives on peer and influencer alcohol-related social media content. The findings revealed that both influencers and peers post alcohol content that sends the message that drinking is acceptable, normal, and cool. Despite this similarity, adolescents perceived their peers to be more cautious and strategic than influencers when posting about alcohol. The study also showed that adolescents’ decision to engage with peer or influencer alcohol-related posts is influenced by a number of factors. Adolescents believe they are more likely to be influenced by peers’ alcohol-related posts than influencers’ alcohol-related posts, with some exceptions. Researchers suggested that future studies aim to further understand the unique attributes and circumstances in which exposure to peer and influencer alcohol-related posts impact adolescents’ alcohol-related cognition and behavior. This knowledge could inform prevention and intervention efforts, such as social media literacy training and social media-specific parenting practices.

This paper, “A qualitative analysis of adolescents’ perspectives on peer and influencer alcohol-related posts on social media,” was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and published in the journal Drug and alcohol review.