Association between young Australian's drinking behaviours and their interactions with alcohol brands on Facebook: Results of an online survey

Aims: To examine the association of alcohol-brand social networking pages and Facebook users' drinking attitudes and behaviours. Methods: Cross-sectional, self-report datawere obtained from a convenience sample of 283 Australian Facebook users aged 16-24 years via an online survey. Results: More than half of the respondents reported using Facebook for more than an hour daily. While only 20% had actively interacted with an alcohol brand on Facebook, we found a significant association between this active interaction and alcohol consumption, and a strong association between engagement with alcohol brands on Facebook and problematic drinking. Conclusions: The findings of this study demonstrate the need for further research into the complex interaction between social networking and alcohol consumption, and add support to calls for effective regulation of alcohol marketing on social network platforms.