Exploring Social Media’s Influence on Adolescents’ Curiosity About E-Cigarette Use: A Secondary Data Analysis

Le résumé fourni par la source

Although adolescent e-cigarette use has decreased, 1.63 million middle and high school students continue to use e-cigarettes, highlighting persistent public health challenges. Social media exacerbates the issue by glamorizing and normalizing e-cigarette use, increasing curiosity and the risk of experimentation among adolescents. This study examined the relationship between adolescents’ exposure to e-cigarette-related content on social media and their curiosity about e-cigarette use. This study utilized data from the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey (N = 22,069) to measure exposure to e-cigarette-related content on social media. We used regression analysis with a logit link function to assess the relationship between social media exposure to e-cigarette content and curiosity about e-cigarette use moderated by race. The results indicate a strong correlation between exposure to e-cigarette-related content on social media and adolescents’ curiosity about e-cigarette use, specifically with a higher endorsed curiosity about e-cigarette use in adolescents frequently (weekly or daily) exposed to e-cigarette social media content relative to those who endorsed never being exposed to e-cigarette-related content (OR = 4.12, p < 0.01). White and Asian individuals with daily exposure to e-cigarette-related content were 5.29 and 4.03 times more likely to endorse curiosity about e-cigarette use, respectively, relative to those without this exposure. The study underscores the powerful influence of social media on adolescents’ curiosity about e-cigarette use, with notable variation across racial and ethnic groups. The findings support key behavioral theories, indicating that curiosity is shaped by observed social norms, perceived benefits, and minimized risks in digital environments.

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