Exposure to drug-related online content and drug use among racial/ethnic minority youth in the United States

Studies of high-risk digital media use often treat youth in the United States as a monolith. Here, we present results from an online survey study of 489 U.S. youth (aged 13-23) assessing relationships between drug-related online content exposure and drug use based on racial/ethnic identity. Regression models identified racial/ethnic differences in drug-related content exposure and interaction terms examined whether relationships of interest changed based on racial/ethnic identity. Racial/ethnic (RE)-minority youth had significantly higher odds of frequent exposure to drug-related content online and significant correlations between drug use and content exposure were seen among select populations of RE-minority youth. Assessments of drug-related digital media habits should be considered instrumental to understanding rising rates of drug use within U.S. RE-minority populations.