Use of social networking sites and alcohol consumption among adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
Research indicates that screen time (e.g. TV viewing) is associated with alcohol consumption in adolescents; however, very little is known about the link between the use of social networking sites (SNSs) and alcohol intake in this age group. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the use of SNSs and alcohol consumption among Canadian middle and high school students, and to test whether this link varies by sex and drinking frequency or intensity.


METHODS
School-based cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Self-reported data on time spent on SNSs, alcohol consumption and sociodemographic characteristics were obtained from 10,072 participants within the 2013 cycle of the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a province-wide survey of students in grades 7-12 (11-20 years old).


RESULTS
Adolescent females who reported daily use of SNSs (≤2 hours/day or >2 hours/day) were more likely than those who use them infrequently or do not use them at all to report both occasional and regular alcohol consumption in the past 12 months, while adolescent males who reported daily use of SNSs were more likely than those who use SNSs infrequently or do not use them at all to report regular alcohol use in the past 12 months. The use of SNSs was also associated with report of binge drinking (defined as drinking five or more drinks on one occasion) in the past 4 weeks in both males and females.


CONCLUSIONS
Results provide evidence that the use of SNSs is associated with alcohol consumption among adolescents. Differences between males and females in the reported associations warrant further investigations.
Ottawa Public Health, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: hugues.sampasa@ottawa.ca.
H
H
Sampasa-Kanyinga
Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
J-P
JP
Chaput
D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D063425:Binge Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D061108:Social Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
Adolescents; Alcohol; Binge drinking; Social networking sites