The glorification of drugs on social media persuades teenagers to abuse them

Social media is a big part of teenagers' lives, but it can also have some unforeseen consequences. Teenagers see the glorification of drugs on social media which causes them to become curious and abuse drugs. 

A lot of teenagers on these platforms will post videos glorifying and shining a positive light on the drugs that they use. 75% of teenagers who see posts of other teenagers smoking weed encourage them to do the same.

Some people don’t really use these various social media platforms, but when they do, they notice that they allow a lot of people to post things that would persuade a teenager to do things that are not good for them, like the use of drugs. A chemistry teacher at GW. Carver, Alexander Leed explains his concerns about what social media has to offer. 

“My basic understanding is there’s a whole lot of misinformation, disinformation, statistics that are made up or skewed, taken out of context. A lot of bad information on tiktok and instagram.” Leed said.

The misinformation on social media persuades teenagers to use drugs and do them whenever they want. Teenagers don’t care who sees them doing drugs, let alone where they do them. In Philly, you can see a number of young people smoking marijuana or “rolling up” on the subway or even on a random block.

“I see kids doing drugs on the subway, like rolling stuff and smoking stuff all the time. But usually it’s marijuana” Leed said. “I ride the subway to and from school every day and I have seen septa police twice this year. That’s out of 120 rides, no, 120 to 240 rides. I’ve seen the police twice. Both times. The police were riding and I did not see them enforcing any of the law.”

Having access to these drugs makes it easier for teens to start using them. Dasia Hudgins, an 18 year old freshman college student at East Stroudsburg expresses that when you get to make your own decisions, they are not always the best ones.

“ When you are in college you have more freedom. When you are at home, a lot of parents don’t allow you to do drugs in the house. When you are at school, you’re more prone to do drugs in your room when you have privacy or if your friend does the same drug as you” Dasia said “ you have nobody in your ear to tell you to stop, or no, or you could really get caught.”

Peer pressure, social media, influence of culture and society, the desire to be like someone else, and curiosity are all big factors on why teenagers use drugs. Some parents might think that they have the most perfect child in the world but they are not aware of what they are doing when they step out of their house or when they get to college. 

Parents are saying that your drug dealer is your kid's phone. Some dealers don’t even ask for your age, even if they do, they just go off of what they are being told. These people don’t care about your life and what drugs can do to your body in the long run, they want to sell their drugs, get their money, and be on their way.

Some teenagers might not have the motivation to quit doing drugs. Some might even think that there is nothing out there to help them. Some things can definitely be done to steer these young people in the right direction. David Mandel, a teacher at GW. Carver wants people to up the advertisements. 

 “I think through public awareness campaigns, outreach through schools, but i think public awareness posters, you know, on the subway, posters on buses, signs on the roads, just you know, to get you thinking about it.” Mandel said