News

In late 2023, Dr Carmen Lim, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, and Ms Brienna Rutherford, PhD candidate teamed up to present on their research in “Social Substances: the Online Landscape of Substance Use”, a webinar for Insight, Queensland’s leading provider of alcohol and other drug training and education, information and advice for workers and services.

This webinar explored (1) the content, creators and viewers of substance-related imagery online, (2) the implications exposure may have on behaviours, attitudes and intentions, (3) the impact availability of this content may have on youth access to substances and (4) potential regulation methods to limit high-risk exposure. Carmen and Brienna’s research on substance -related social media content and its impact on youth behaviours and attitudes to cocaine, cannabis, and vaping on TikTok, Instagram, and other social media platforms has been published in Addiction, Addictive Behaviors, Drug and Alcohol Review and JAMA Pediatrics and elsewhere.