Introduction and Aims: Young people have a higher prevalence of alcohol consumption than other age groups. Social networking sites (SNS) are now the dominant media platform young people use. Alcohol-related images and industry marketing heavily feature in SNS. Understanding the relationship between SNS and alcohol use in young people has important clinical and preventative implications. This study aims to synthesise the findings of studies reporting the effects of exposure to alcohol-related media on SNS on drinking outcomes in youth (17 years or younger) and young adults (18 to 24 years).

Design and Methods: PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO and Web of Science were searched for studies published globally since 2004. Drinking behaviours were included as the primary outcome, while drinking-related cognitions were included as secondary outcomes.

Results: A total of 16,562 titles and abstracts were screened and 90 full-text articles were evaluated by five reviewers. Eleven studies were included in this review. Preliminary findings showed that nine studies (82%) reported exposure to alcohol-related SNS was significantly associated with increased odds or likelihood of drinking (odds ratios ranging between 1.18 to 3.71, β ranging between 0.05 to 0.42). No studies examined drinking-related cognitions.

Discussions and Conclusions: Preliminary evidence suggests that greater exposure to alcohol-related content on SNS is related to greater drinking behaviours in young people. There is a need to better understand the theoretical and behavioural impacts of SNS on alcohol use, which can be used to optimise preventative and clinical measures.

Disclosure of Interest Statement: BC was supported by The University of Queensland Living Stipend and Tuition Scholarship. GCKC is funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant (1176137). MJG is supported by a Medical Research Future Fund Translating Research into Practice Fellowship (1167986). The Australian National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research is supported by funding from the Australian Government provided under the Commonwealth Drug and Alcohol Program grant.