Association between public posting about alcohol on social networking sites and alcohol outcomes among non-college-attending young adults.

Abstract

There is potential to use public posts on social networking sites (SNS) to screen for problematic alcohol use. This study investigated how frequency of public posting about alcohol on SNS relates to alcohol outcomes among young adults (YA) not attending 4-year college. We also explored associations for racial/ethnic and gender subgroups. Participants were 501 non-college-attending YA, aged 18-29, living in the United States. Participants were recruited via Qualtrics Panels and completed measures of demographics, SNS use (past-3-month frequency of public posting about alcohol on Instagram, TikTok, "X"), and alcohol-related outcomes: heavy episodic drinking frequency (HED), high-intensity drinking episodes (HID), U.S. Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test total (USAUDIT), and alcohol consequences. Regression models tested hypothesized associations between frequency of public posting and alcohol outcomes. Subsequent models assessed simple effects by race/ethnicity (Hispanic, Black, White) and gender (man, woman). Controlling for covariates, more frequent public alcohol-posting was associated with higher USAUDIT, HED frequency, and HID likelihood, not consequences. For Hispanic YA, posting was positively associated with all outcomes except consequences. For Black YA, posting was positively associated with USAUDIT and HID, not HED or consequences. For White YA, posting was positively associated with USAUDIT and HED, not HID or consequences. For women, posting was positively associated with USAUDIT total, HID, and consequences. For men, posting was positively associated with USAUDIT and HED. In conclusion, more frequent public alcohol-posting on SNS was positively associated with past-year alcohol use and problems, implying potential to screen for hazardous drinking via public SNS posts, among non-college-attending YA. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).