Recent research by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) suggests that social media use in young people may have a link to increased gambling participation.

The research shows that social media use correlates with health risk behaviour in young people, including alcohol, drug use and gambling. BMJ analysed over 126 studies from 1997 to 2022, including about 130 million young people (aged between 10-19) with an average age of 15.

Daily social media use

The research discovered a difference between using social media regularly and infrequent use. Daily use increased the odds of gambling participation by almost 200%.

However, this does oppose a study by the UK Gambling Commission late last year, which showed a decrease in teen participation in gambling.

So, it seems that more evidence or research is required to really confirm a strong or evident link between the social media use of young people and gambling participation.

Concerns about teens and gambling

Another recent study (in the US) showed that 1 in 6 parents said they probably wouldn't know if their teen was gambling online, and only 1 in 4 had discussed online betting or gambling with their teenage children. 83% of these parents were mainly worried about gambling causing debt, and 77% were most worried about gambling addiction.

So, communication is key for parents to discuss online gambling and the risks so that teens are aware of the potential impact of gambling addiction.

Need more information? For help with gambling concerns, visit gamstop.co.uk, call the National Gambling Helpline at 0808 802 0133, or read our responsible gambling guides.