Teen alcohol use, computer use linked

• Tweet

NEW YORK, May 10 (UPI) -- Compared with peers who don't drink, teens who drink spend more time on their computers doing social networking and downloading music, U.S. researchers say.

Dr. Jennifer Epstein of the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York and colleagues conducted a survey of 264 U.S. teens ages 13-17 that indicated teens who reported drinking in the last month used a computer more hours per week excluding school work than those who did not.

However, there was no link between alcohol use and computer use for school work and there was no strong link between video games and drinking or online shopping and drinking, the study says.

"While the specific factors linking teenage drinking and computer use are not yet established, it seems likely that adolescents are experimenting with drinking and activities on the Internet," Epstein says in a statement. "Children are being exposed to computers and the Internet at younger ages. For this reason it's important that parents are actively involved in monitoring their children's computer usage, as well as alcohol use."

The findings is published online in the journal Addictive Behaviors.