Drug Culture and Social Networks
Two related studies recently published show that adolescents frequently discuss drug use using MySpace and Facebook popular social network websites.
The first study of 500 randomly sampled MySpace users, reported that four in ten 18 year olds contained high risk substance use references.
The second study of 190 18 to 20 year olds reported 85 per cent had reference to drug use. After an email intervention by the researchers 26 per cent reduced their drug use reference.
(Source: Seattle Childrens Research Institute released in the January 2009 issue of Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine journal).
DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMENTS-
Facebook and MySpace are the most popular social networking sites used by adolescent Australians.
These references to high risk drug use shown by these studies highlight the drug culture that young people are exposed to.
Like popular music which downplays the dangers of illicit drug use by promoting the drug culture, internet culture has the same dangers.
Interestingly when some young people were emailed during the research they were alerted to the exposure and modified their entry.
In 2008 a major youth survey found that drug use is of major concern to one in four Australian youths.
Australia NEEDS effective early intervention illicit drug resistance programs to avoid the trauma and costs of dealing with the early drug use influenced by culture.
The way forward is to provide Australian children with the ability to resist drug pressure at a young age so they will not use illicit drugs.
THE DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA SUPPORTS-
More detoxification & rehabilitation that gets illicit drug users drug free.
Court ordered and supervised detoxification & rehabilitation.
Less illicit drug users, drug pushers and drug related crimes.
2/2009
