Social Media Exposure and Left-behind Children’s Tobacco and Alcohol Use: The Roles of Deviant Peer Affiliation and Parent–Child Contact

Abstract

The public has always been concerned about the problem behaviors of children and teenagers (such as cigarette and alcohol use), especially among disadvantaged groups (e.g., left-behind children in China); in the current information era, left-behind children’s use of social media also has increasingly expanded, which has diverse effects on their adaptation. Accordingly, the present study examined the association between exposure to relevant content on social media and left-behind children’s tobacco and alcohol use, as well as the underlying mechanisms—the mediating effect of deviant peer affiliation and the moderating effect of parent–child contact, the gender differences were also investigated. A sample of 515 Chinese left-behind children (Mage = 13.39 ± 2.52 years, 45.0% girls) was recruited to complete a set of questionnaires assessing the main variables. The results show that social media exposure was positively associated with tobacco and alcohol use and that deviant peer affiliation significantly mediated this relationship. Furthermore, parent–child interaction attenuated the link between social media exposure and cigarette and alcohol use among left-behind girls, but this moderating effect was not statistically significant among left-behind boys. The moderating role of parent–child contact in the association between deviant peer affiliation and tobacco and alcohol use was insignificant in both boys and girls. These findings may have significance in several ways—theoretically, they not only deepen our understanding of the risk factors and mechanism of tobacco and alcohol use among left-behind children in the current information era and the influences of social media use; practically, they provide direction for the health improvement of left-behind children of different genders.

The Effect of Emotional Neglect on Cyberbullying among Rural Chinese Left-behind Adolescents—Mediating Role of Social Anxiety

“…First, rural left-behind adolescents are minors in rural areas whose parents or guardians cannot accompany them because they are away for extended periods for work, business, farming, or other reasons, and they are forced to live alone or with their grandparents, neighbors at home, or relatives [ 60 ]. Generally, such adolescents are cared for by grandparents or other relatives, have more severe emotional neglect problems, and face multiple risks and challenges, such as psychological problems, physical health problems, and fewer educational opportunities [ 61 ].…”

Health problems faced by left-behind children in low/middle-income countries

“…Regular and positive contact between parents and left-behind children can promote parent–child relationships and reduce adverse effects. One study reported that parent–child contact protected left-behind children from tobacco and alcohol use 32. Mobile phones and various communication apps, such as WeChat and WhatsApp, have made it easier for migrant parents to keep in touch with their children back home.…”

“…One study reported that parent–child contact protected left-behind children from tobacco and alcohol use. 32 Mobile phones and various communication apps, such as WeChat and WhatsApp, have made it easier for migrant parents to keep in touch with their children back home. Frequent parent–child interactions can foster emotional bonds between parents and children and meet their emotional needs, thus reducing their negative emotions.…”

Deviant Peer Affiliation and Adolescent Tobacco and Alcohol Use: The Roles of Tobacco and Alcohol Information Exposure on Social Networking Sites and Digital Literacy

“…It may cause great harm to adolescents’ health and adaptation—tobacco and alcohol use cause brain damage [ 2 ], poor academic performance [ 3 , 4 ], and aggressive behaviors [ 5 ] among adolescents. Therefore, its influencing factors have been the focus of researchers, among which peer relationship, especially deviant peer affiliation, has received attention [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. This is because the influence of peer relationships surpasses other interpersonal relationships (such as parent–child relationships) and becomes one of the main factors affecting adolescents’ psychological and behavioral development [ 10 ].…”

“…Specifically, adolescents who originally did not smoke or drink alcohol may use tobacco and alcohol to close the gap and enhance their relationships with their deviant peers as a result of their interactions with them [ 27 ]. Furthermore, extensive evidence showed that deviant peer affiliation can affect alcohol and tobacco use among adolescents [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Thus, we hypothesized that deviant peer affiliation is positively associated with adolescent tobacco and alcohol use (Hypothesis 1).…”