TikTok Serves up ‘Humorous’ and ’Entertaining' Cannabis Videos to Teens: Researchers

The logo of the social media video sharing app TikTok is displayed on a tablet screen in Paris, France, on Nov. 21, 2019. Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images

Young people are at risk of illicit drug use after being exposed to TikTok videos that portray cannabis-use as “humorous or entertaining” rather than risky, University of Queensland (UQ) researchers have said.

A new study analysing 881 publicly available TikTok videos has found that 54 percent had a positive sentiment and were viewed more than 416 times.

Meanwhile, only 2.7 percent (24 of the 881 videos) warned audiences of the dangers associated with high-frequency cannabis use.

Lead author and PhD student Brienna Rutherford from UQ’s National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research said the result was “concerning.”

“We know this exposure can influence an adolescent’s attitudes and potentially lead to problematic cannabis use, posing the risk of mental health issues or neuropsychological decline,” Rutherford said.

She noted while the majority of content is coming from parts of the world where recreational use of the drug is legal when viewed from places where the drug is banned, “it can influence those attitudes.” For example, in Australia, federal laws still prohibit the recreational use of cannabis.

The study also found about 42 percent of videos featured the creator sharing their personal cannabis use experiences, while close to a quarter promoted the acceptability of using it socially or culturally.

This, according to co-author Gary Chan, indicates the perceived cultural and social acceptability of cannabis.

“We found a vast majority depicted cannabis use as humorous or entertaining,“ Chan said, adding that she had seen ”an increase in the number of pro-cannabis groups that have started to pop up online.”

Catalyst Cannabis Company cannabis samples in Santa Ana, Calif., on Feb. 18, 2021. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times