Achi news desk-
Academics from the University of Glasgow examined how social media use among 14-year-olds influenced the use of nicotine when they reached the age of 17.
The team surveyed 8,987 teenagers for the study, which has been published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
About 28.9% of those who responded were smokers, while 23.7% had vaped. Around 8.2% of the teenagers questioned used both.
Mental health, socio-economic status and past smoking behaviors were also included.
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Researchers found that spending more than two hours a day on social media platforms increased the likelihood of a teenager smoking by two and a half times.
They were also more than three times more likely to vape compared to their peers who used social media for an hour to less than 30 minutes a day.
Lead author Amrit Kaur Purba said: “Our findings advocate for regulation of dangerous content on social media and tailored guidelines for teenagers on social media use so they can navigate the complex social media environment.
“Educators, health professionals, and caregivers must improve their social media literacy to prepare teenagers for the realities of the social media landscape.
“We need to model healthy habits online, instead of resorting to blanket bans and overprotection, to help young people navigate the digital world.”
The study was funded by the Scottish Government’s Office of the Chief Scientist, the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust.
It comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to bring in laws that will essentially mean that young people born on or after January 1, 2009 will never be able to legally buy cigarettes.
There will also be new powers to regulate the display, content, flavors and packaging of vapor and nicotine products.
The bill was introduced to the House of Commons last month.
The Scottish Government has agreed to UK-wide legislation and is also planning to ban the sale of single-use vapor from April 1, 2025.
