Social media-based interventions to prevent adolescent nicotine use: a scoping review.
- 1Center for Social and Health Innovation, MCI Management Center Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
- 2Department of Communication, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Abstract
Despite growing concerns about adolescent nicotine use, the evidence regarding the outcomes of social media-based prevention efforts remains underexplored. This scoping review maps the scope, characteristics, and outcomes of (i) social media-based prevention interventions and (ii) educational interventions addressing adolescents' interpretation of nicotine-related social media content. PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, ERIC, and CINAHL were systematically searched in March 2024 and updated in November 2025. Peer-reviewed English-language articles published since 2006 were included; cessation-focused studies were excluded. Of 1626 records screened by two independent reviewers, 18 studies met inclusion criteria. A structured codebook guided data extraction. The 18 included studies encompassed a wide range of designs, including online experiments, longitudinal and cross-sectional studies, content analyses, and qualitative research. Interventions ranged from message testing and simulated social media exposure to large-scale public health campaigns (e.g. "Rethink Vape," "Truth," "The Real Cost," and "Fresh Empire"), alongside one school-based media literacy program ("MediaSense"). Most studies reported short-term improvements in knowledge, risk perception, or engagement, whereas evidence for sustained behavior change or reduced nicotine use was limited. Common limitations included reliance on self-reported outcomes and short follow-up periods. Most studies reported improvements in knowledge and risk perceptions, whereas evidence for sustained behavioral outcomes remains methodologically heterogeneous and largely focused on short-term outcomes. More rigorous longitudinal evaluations and sustained public health investment are needed. For practitioners and policymakers, the findings support investment in culturally tailored, platform-native campaigns alongside stronger regulatory frameworks to limit adolescents' exposure to nicotine-related marketing in digital environments.
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BibTeX
@article{melber2026social,
title = {{Social media-based interventions to prevent adolescent nicotine use: a scoping review.}},
author = {Lisa Melber and Elena Engel and Sascha Gell and Jaroslava Kaňková and Raffael Heiss},
journal = {Health promotion international},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1093/heapro/daag155},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904458},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Social media-based interventions to prevent adolescent nicotine use: a scoping review.
AU - Lisa Melber
AU - Elena Engel
AU - Sascha Gell
AU - Jaroslava Kaňková
AU - Raffael Heiss
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - Health promotion international
DO - 10.1093/heapro/daag155
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904458
AB - Despite growing concerns about adolescent nicotine use, the evidence regarding the outcomes of social media-based prevention efforts remains underexplored. This scoping review maps the scope, characteristics, and outcomes of (i) social media-based prevention interventions and (ii) educational interventions addressing adolescents' interpretation of nicotine-related social media content. PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, ERIC, and CINAHL were systematically searched in March 2024 and updated in November 2025. Peer-reviewed English-language articles published since 2006 were included; cessation-focused studies were excluded. Of 1626 records screened by two independent reviewers, 18 studies met inclusion criteria. A structured codebook guided data extraction. The 18 included studies encompassed a wide range of designs, including online experiments, longitudinal and cross-sectional studies, content analyses, and qualitative research. Interventions ranged from message testing and simulated social media exposure to large-scale public health campaigns (e.g. "Rethink Vape," "Truth," "The Real Cost," and "Fresh Empire"), alongside one school-based media literacy program ("MediaSense"). Most studies reported short-term improvements in knowledge, risk perception, or engagement, whereas evidence for sustained behavior change or reduced nicotine use was limited. Common limitations included reliance on self-reported outcomes and short follow-up periods. Most studies reported improvements in knowledge and risk perceptions, whereas evidence for sustained behavioral outcomes remains methodologically heterogeneous and largely focused on short-term outcomes. More rigorous longitudinal evaluations and sustained public health investment are needed. For practitioners and policymakers, the findings support investment in culturally tailored, platform-native campaigns alongside stronger regulatory frameworks to limit adolescents' exposure to nicotine-related marketing in digital environments.
SN - 0957-4824
SN - 1460-2245
ER -