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143 minutes a day. That’s the average time internet users spend on social media.
50%. That’s the percentage of Americans 12 and older who have used illicit drugs at least once.
When we put these statistics together, it makes sense that we see quite a few posts pertaining to substance use. Whether your favorite platform is TikTok, Instagram, or X, it’s likely you’ve either seen, commented, or shared something related to drug or alcohol use.
Considering the total drug overdoses in the U.S. have reached nearly one million over the past 25 years, it’s understandable that drug enforcement officials and researchers are looking into how social media may be contributing to this problem.
So just how much substance abuse do we see on social media? Researchers have provided some interesting findings…
Substance-Related Social Media Posts
One study looked at more than 15 million substance-related posts from TikTok, YouTube, X, Instagram, Pinterest, and Weibo. Researchers found that 76.3% of the content depicted substance use in a positive light. However, opiate use was regarded as negative 55.5% of the time. They also found that much of the content related to health and safety, information, or substance use.
Regarding drug trafficking online, the DEA investigated more than 80 cases in 2021 regarding drug sales through internet apps.
Looking at TikTok specifically, we find that videos using specific hashtags to promote “steroid-like drugs” attracted more than 587 million views in the U.S. over a three-year period. Nearly three-fourths of these viewers were aged 18-24.
Over on Instagram, the platform has banned hashtags for drug-related content, and selling drugs isn’t allowed, but Instagrammers are finding ways around these regulations. For example, the site blocked #fentanyl, but #fentanylcalifornia flew by under the radar and allowed some opioid sales to go through, according to researchers.
As a popular forum for discussions and information-finding, Reddit is also a common place to find conversations about drug use. Data crunchers collected stats from 71 drug-related subreddits and found 7.5 million drug-related posts from 2013 to 2021. During that time, there was a 1292% increase (yes, you read that right) in fentanyl-related content.
What about X?
The former Twitter platform has received a lot of negative attention since owner Elon Musk took the reins. In 2023, advertising on X plummeted, and users continued to abandon ship due to concerns over misinformation and lack of identity verification. The company has seen a 30% decrease in the number of “tweeters.”
The content that remains, however, is not drug-free. Researchers studying X analyzed 111,508 tweets from 2018 to 2022 that included the term “cocaine.” They discovered that the posts tended to trivialize the use of cocaine and promote misleading information about the drug. Another study analyzed 1800 substance use disorder recovery related tweets. Of these posts, nearly half came from those seeking recovery or celebrating recovery. Yet, more than a fourth were related to marketing for addiction treatment—with many including unsubstantiated recovery claims.
The Future of Drugs on Social Media
Social media remains an outlet for people to discuss their drug use, gather information, find support, and find drugs. From what researchers have discovered, these platforms can serve as both a positive place to find recovery support and a negative space that can encourage drug abuse and addiction.
The bottom line? When using social media, proceed with caution.
And if you’re one of the many searching for recovery support online, you can access this Rehab Directory where you can search by city and state to find credible treatment nearby.