Study Materials for Mitigation of Misinformation Effects on Substance Use Data Collection

Misinformation and disinformation have been increasing in social media about widely available substances of misuse, such as cigarettes, alcohol, vaping devices, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -containing products, and sleep medications, and their effects are less well documented than the effects of marketing for these substances. Disinformation campaigns are also less easily regulated or prevented. An online randomized experiment with a national (N=1201) sample of adults 18-29 tested a media literacy intervention to mitigate the effects of social media-based misinformation and disinformation on problematic substance use among young adults. The working hypothesis was that the intervention will increase skepticism of misinformation about substances such as cigarettes, vaping, alcohol, THC, and sleep medications. Misinformation beliefs will positively associate with substance use and future intentions to use. This study was designed to provide necessary preliminary evidence to attract external funding to refine the theoretical model, test the intervention in longitudinal studies and to maximize its relevance for subgroups.