Thirteen-year-old Billy opened Instagram and typed “buy Xanax” into the search bar. Instantly, the social media platform auto-filled dozens of results. He clicked on one of the suggested accounts and quickly connected to an online drug dealer.
It took Billy all of five seconds and just two clicks to find illegal drugs this way. Fortunately, in this case, Billy was part of a research project on social media drug dealers. But it’s happening in real life, too.
Researchers Show the Ease of Social Media Drug Dealing
Researchers at the Tech Transparency Project set up Instagram accounts representing several 13- to 15-year-old users. What they found was alarming. On average, it took two clicks to find a drug dealer.
The researchers reported, “Not only did Instagram allow the hypothetical teens to easily search for age-restricted and illegal drugs, but the platform’s algorithms helped the underage accounts connect directly with drug dealers selling everything from opioids to party drugs.”
A Meta (Facebook and Instagram’s parent company) spokesperson contended that drug sales are strictly prohibited on Instagram. They also noted that they’ve improved detection technology to identify and remove content related to drug sales.
However, Meta’s improved efforts aren’t stopping teens from using these platforms for unintended purposes, especially when workarounds exist. Instagram can ban hashtags for illegal substances, but what’s the point when the algorithm recommends alternatives instead?
Learning about prevention and treatment early can make a life-saving difference, explore our Guide to treatment & recovery to understand how support programs can help.
Drug Dealers Sell Online Without Fear
Researchers found that many dealers “mention drugs directly in their account names to advertise their services.” With such bold use of Instagram to sell their drugs, many online drug dealers are using the app without fear of consequences.
Similar deals are happening on Snapchat. On this platform, photos or videos automatically disappear after they’re viewed. Chats also disappear on the app. Obviously, this is an appealing platform for social media drug dealers.
According to a 2024 report, nearly half of all U.S. teens aged 13 to 17 say they’re online “constantly,” and YouTube tops the charts as their favorite platform (90%). In addition, around 60% prefer Instagram and TikTok, while 55% still frequent Snapchat the most. Comparatively, only 35% cite Facebook as their go-to social media site.
Today, there are more touchpoints than ever before for teens to interact with unscrupulous accounts that could lead them astray. A recent review of 73 individual studies found that out of more than 15 million separate posts on several of the top social media platforms (including Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, and others), more than 76% of the content depicted substance use as a positive behavior, while only 20% showed it in a negative light.
In addition to reaching out through the top social media platforms, dealers are commonly turning to encrypted sites like WhatsApp and Telegram. To evade detection, they’re using hashtags, code names, and even emojis to convey their messages and advertisements about illicit substances.
These apps provide an ideal platform for drug dealers to entice and engage potential buyers. Increasingly, buyers who respond to these ads are receiving life-threatening drugs.
Social Media Drug Dealers Leave a Trail of Destruction
On social media, drug dealers often prey on teens to make sales. In some cases, they also sell deadly drugs to unsuspecting buyers. A teen may think they’re buying oxycodone or Xanax. Instead, they end up with fentanyl-laced pills—or even pure fentanyl.
Zach was one of those victims.
One morning, Zach left his house to meet a drug dealer from Snapchat, and he never made it home. “He died right in front of the house on the curb, alone,” Zach’s father said in a recent news report.
Zach bought a pill over Snapchat laced with enough fentanyl to kill five grown men.
Fourteen-year-old Alex took one pill he thought was OxyContin. His mother admitted, “I had no idea that one pill would kill him. He had ordered an illegally manufactured pill right off of social media as easily as ordering a pizza.”
Tragedies like this represent an explosion of drug-related deaths among teens who purchased drugs through social media.
Exposing Online Drug Dealers, Fake Pills, and Fentanyl
Experts reported that many tragedies are caused by “a flood of fentanyl-filled counterfeit pills being sold on social media and sometimes delivered straight to kids’ homes.”
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s 50 times stronger than heroin. As a result, the substance is currently the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States. In 2024, the DEA seized more than 60 million fake pills laced with fentanyl, along with almost 8,000 pounds of fentanyl powder.
These deadly, fake pills find their way into teens’ hands through social media drug dealers. One pill containing fentanyl is more than enough to kill.
“What is happening on our platforms—and all across social media and technology platforms—is that young people who are suffering from mental health and stress induced by the pandemic … are reaching for substances, oftentimes pills and opioids,” said Jennifer Park Stout, vice president of global public policy at Snapchat. “These substances are laced with fentanyl, enough fentanyl to kill them.”
Katey McPherson, child advocate with Bark for Schools, added, “More steps are needed to strengthen parental controls like allowing parents to know who their kids are talking to.”
Snapchat needs to take a holistic approach to the dangers of online drug dealers, and “parents should talk to their kids and know how they are using all social media apps,” McPherson warned.
Zach’s parents—along with many others who’ve lost their teens—want Snapchat and Instagram to do more to prevent these tragic deaths. The goal is to hold these companies accountable and put strict measures in place to make these conversations and connections harder to achieve.
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) explains that early education and advocacy through school-based and community programs can help teens stay safe online. The ED also shares webinars and links to other resources on its page.
If your teen is struggling with a substance use disorder, help is available. Learn how structured programs provide guidance and hope in our Guide to treatment & recovery. Contact us at
800-681-1058
(
Sponsored)
and get the help you need today.
