The Relationship Between Time Spent on Social Media and Adolescent Cigarette, E-cigarette, and Dual Use: A Longitudinal Analysis of the UK Millennium Cohort Study

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the relationship between time spent on social media and adolescent cigarette, e-cigarette, and dual use. The study uses data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, which followed a group of children born in 2000-2002 from infancy to adulthood. The authors used statistical methods to estimate the effect of social media use on the risk of nicotine use in adolescence, while accounting for potential confounding factors and reverse causality.

Key Points:

* The study used data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, which includes information on time spent on social media, cigarette and e-cigarette use, and potential confounding factors.
* Time spent on social media was associated with increased risk of cigarette, e-cigarette, and dual use in a dose-response manner.
* The relationship between social media use and nicotine use was stronger for adolescents from more socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.
* The study controlled for potential confounding factors, including parental education, mental health, cognitive ability, and risk-taking behavior.
* The authors addressed reverse causality by adjusting for baseline outcome measures.
* Analyses using time-use-diaries, in complete case samples, and with additional adjustment for baseline outcome measures generally revealed similar findings.

Main Message:
The study provides evidence for a relationship between time spent on social media and adolescent nicotine use. The findings suggest that guidance addressing adolescent online safety should be prioritized, and that legislation aimed at promoting adolescent online safety could be beneficial. The study also highlights the need to increase awareness and understanding of the underlying algorithms which drive adolescent exposure to nicotine-related content on social media. The differential effects across socioeconomic groups emphasize the importance of considering health inequalities in the development of guidance and legislation.

Amrit Kaur Purba, Marion Henderson, Andrew Baxter, Anna Pearce, S Vittal Katikireddi, The Relationship Between Time Spent on Social Media and Adolescent Cigarette, E-cigarette, and Dual Use: A Longitudinal Analysis of the UK Millennium Cohort Study, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, Volume 27, Issue 4, April 2025, Pages 693–704, https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntae057