Researchers say teenagers who often use social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace are at higher risk of drinking alcohol, smoking and substance abuse.
A study of 1,037 US teenagers aged 12 to 17 and over half of their parents suggested that social network users were five times more likely to report smoking, three times more likely to drink alcohol and twice as likely to use marijuana compared to those who were not networking.
The study also suggested that about 70 percent of the pariticipants used social networking sites on a typical day, reported researchers at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse of Columbia University.
Results showed that 26 percent of teen networkers reported drinking alcohol, 10 percent said they smoked tobacco and 13 percent confirmed using marijuana.
"The results are profoundly troubling," the researchers wrote in their report. "This year's survey reveals how the anything goes, free-for-all world of Internet expression [and] suggestive television programming ... put teens at sharply increased risk of substance abuse."
The study further showed that seeing photos of other adolescents or children drinking or lighting up a joint on social networks makes these behavior more acceptable for teens.
Findings revealed that 40 percent of teens were exposed to such images, half of them before they were 13 years old. These kids were also more able to procure weed or prescription drugs and four times more likely to smoke up.
Experts, however, say the new findings do not prove that social networks cause harmful behaviors and addiction and that many other factors can be responsible for addictive behavior in teens such as parental involvement and how much spare time the adolescents have.
The results also revealed that 89 percent of the interviewed parents did not think social networking sites increased the likelihood of drug use for teens, while 87 percent thought the same about alcohol consumption.
"Parents should be looking at what their kids are watching on television and, secondly, what they are watching on social networks," said Joseph Califano Jr., founder and chairman of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.
"Parental engagement is a key factor to lowering teen substance abuse risk, as are frequent family dinners, religious services and consistent messages," he added.
"We know from 16 years of surveys and lots of other research that for better or worse parents have more influence over their teen's risk of substance abuse than anyone else, and it is important for parents to send a consistent and unified message to their teens about drugs and alcohol."
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