Use of digital phenotyping to understand digital media influence on adolescent substance use
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
Many risk factors appear to influence adolescent use of drugs and alcohol, including digital media use. Multiple studies have demonstrated significant associations between an adolescent’s time spent online, exposure to drug and alcohol-related content, and individual substance use. However, the exact nature of this relationship is unclear, including what type of drug-related content exposure may confer greater risk, and whether the amount and timing of drug-related online exposures also impact the strength of this relationship.This is a smartphone app-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study that collected 90 days of longitudinal data from U.S. youth aged 15-20 years old with a history of recent but non-daily substance use. Data included daily smartphone app usage, exposure to substance-related content online, and daily instances of substance use. Mixed effects logistic and linear regression models assessed temporal relationships between substance-related content exposures and instances of substance use/procurement.
Data was collected from 62 individuals, with 60.3% of participants identifying as white non-hispanic/latine. Most participants identified as female (75.8%) with the average age of the participant being 18.6 years of age. Cannabis use was the most frequently reported type of substance use, followed by alcohol and nicotine use. The online platforms reportedly used most were Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. Daily online exposures to substance-related content and instances of substance use were significantly correlated (OR: 1.32, p: 0.025), as well as the total number of exposures to substance-related content and substance use (Coeff: 0.031, p: 0.027). There was no significant correlation between substance use and exposure to substance-related online content the day prior to an instance of substance use (OR: 1.05, p:0.666). Furthermore, there was no significant relationship between substance procurement and substance-related online content exposures (OR:1.17, p:0.326).
Exposure to drug and alcohol-related content appear to significantly increase an individual’s odds of substance use on that day, and instances of substance use correlated with a greater number of substance-related exposures on that day. Future studies should explore whether the strength of this relationship varies dependent upon specific types of substance-related exposures (e.g. video vs. text-based, social media vs. website).
Description
2025