Risky Behaviors and Misinformation: The Dangers of Interactive Social Media

Risky Behaviors and Misinformation: The Dangers of Interactive Social Media

Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of social media due to their developmental stage, which involves significant social, biological, and psychological changes, including heightened susceptibility to risk-taking and peer influence. The interactive nature of social media platforms, characterized by user-generated content, rapid information flow, and broad audience reach, exacerbates these vulnerabilities.

Risky Behaviors on Social Media

Social media platforms can normalize and even encourage various risky behaviors among adolescents. One prominent example is harmful or dangerous social media challenges. These challenges, often amplified by peer influence and the desire for social validation (e.g., "likes" and comments), can lead to physical harm. The "super peer" theory and the Facebook Influence Model suggest that social media contexts amplify peer influence, increasing the volume of content portraying risky behaviors and reinforcing such actions. For instance, a study found that 8–17% of adolescents aged 12–16 in Europe reported encountering harmful content online at least monthly, with approximately 10% viewing content related to taking drugs, committing suicide, or self-harm.

Another significant risk is the sale or distribution of drugs through social media. With increased societal restrictions and parental oversight on access to substances, social media provides a novel environment for adolescents to engage in risk-taking proclivities. Initial evidence indicates a rise in the use of social media to buy and sell drugs, facilitating easy access to groups where products are distributed and enabling contactless deliveries. Adolescents with higher friend support were found to be more likely to report daily encounters with the sale or distribution of drugs, highlighting the complex role of peer relationships in online risk-taking

risk behaviors of teens on social media platforms