Study Finds Teen Facebook Users More Likely To Abuse Drugs And Alcohol
Could Facebook be the new gateway drug? According to a new study by Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter lead to more risky behavior like drinking, smoking, doing drugs, and having sex.
Researchers surveyed 4,257 students and found a correlation between spending three hours a day on social networks and behaviours like binge drinking, skipping class, and even considering suicide.
Called “hypernetworkers”, researchers estimate only 11.5 percent of teens actually fall in this category.
The study also looked at those who send more than 120 text messages a day and concluded these “hypertexters” are at the same risk for alcohol, sex and drug abuse.
The study might have its flaws. Researchers said that heavy texting and social networking was more common in minority girls and kids from broken homes with lower education levels, so perhaps those factor in to teen’s risky behaviours more than their Facebook habits.
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Information from: http://www.allfacebook.com/study-finds-teen-facebook-users-more-likely-to-abuse-drugs-and-alcohol-2010-11 .
