• Posted June 12, 2026

Influencers, Booze And Teens: What's Showing Up In Their Feeds?

Social media is exposing young people to alcohol-related content on a regular basis, and much of it is coming from influencers and the alcohol industry, researchers warn.

For a study in the journal Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, 300 U.S. high school students received prompts on their phones several times a day for nine weeks, asking whether they had recently seen alcohol-related content on social media, who posted it and how they reacted to it.

Although the alcohol industry and major social media platforms prohibit alcohol ads from targeting minors, the content is still reaching underage viewers, researchers found.

Instagram was where kids most often reported seeing alcohol-related videos, followed by TikTok. 

They estimated that about 40% of the alcohol-related posts they viewed came from influencers, while up to 50% were created by the alcohol industry.

Even though the students spent a lot of time on social media, they reported only minimal interaction with alcohol-related content, typically limited to a "like" or emoji reaction.

The authors warn that years of repeated exposure to alcohol content could influence how young people think about alcohol and potentially affect their drinking behaviors.

Posts from influencers may be especially concerning, because they are often seen as more relatable and trustworthy by teens.

Researchers said platform-specific strategies are urgently needed to help to prevent teen drinking.

More information

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has more on teens and alcohol.

SOURCE: HealthDay TV, June 12, 2026