These are the main results from the report From likes to lessons: Exposure to drug-related images on social media and opportunities for online drug prevention on TikTok.
Exposure to the sale of drugs or to a large amount of drug-related content on social media may lower the threshold for young people to eventually start using drugs. Therefore, 73 young people aged 16 to 18 were surveyed to determine how much they were exposed to this through social media. In addition, 13 TikTok videos were created and research was conducted into which videos performed best after they were launched. The videos were developed to provide young people with accurate information about the risks of using different types of drugs.
Visible drug use or being ‘under the influence’ was reported most often
A panel of 73 young people was asked to keep track for four days of how often and through which social media channels they saw drug-related content and what its nature was. This concerned posts containing images, videos or text about drugs. For example, a video of someone with a joint or a funny picture (also known as a meme) about a particular drug.
Of the panel, 65 reported encountering such content during this period. This was mainly on Instagram. Almost half (31 participants) reported seeing drug-related content once or twice in four days. For almost half of all 203 reports, it was indicated that drug use was visible or that someone appeared to be under the influence. Ten reports concerned posts in which drugs were offered for sale.
Participants expected more drug-related content
More than half of the participants indicated that they had seen fewer drug-related images than expected, while only five participants said they had seen more images. The majority said that this exposure had not increased their interest in using drugs themselves.
The TikTok campaign achieved a wide reach
The pilot on TikTok covered topics such as ecstasy, 3-MMC and cannabis. The videos varied in format, from videos featuring an expert speaking to street interviews with young people. The campaign achieved a wide reach: altogether, the videos were viewed more than 1.5 million times. The street interview discussing whether 3-MMC is addictive generated particularly high levels of interaction on the platform. The total number of comments, likes, shares and saves for this video exceeded 19,000. Using TikTok for drug prevention may therefore have significant potential. A large audience can be reached by communicating about the risks of drug use. Misinformation can also be addressed with the help of a short video.
More research and drug prevention on TikTok
It remains unclear what motivates young people to buy drugs on social media, how the process from the first contact to purchase through to the final transaction unfolds, and what role images related to the sale of drugs play in this. More in-depth research is needed. In addition, the report recommends permanently expanding the Trimbos Institute’s existing prevention services. In the autumn, videos will be posted on current topics such as 3-MMC on the TikTok channel of Drugsenuitgaan.
The responses to the videos showed that a message can be received in different ways. It is therefore necessary to formulate messages carefully. Read more about this at trimbos.nl/drugscommunicatie.