Social media engagement and anabolic-androgenic steroid use intentions among boys and men in Canada and the United States

Online environments promote muscular ideals, yet how this exposure affects boys’ and men’s anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use intentions is understudied. This study examined the associations between screen time, social media use, and intentions to use AAS among boys and men who had never used them in Canada and the United States. Data were from The Study of Boys and Men ( N = 1515). Multiple linear regression models tested associations between seven forms of screen use, total screen use, social media addiction, viewing muscularity-oriented social media content (e.g., muscular bodies, muscle-building supplements, and drugs), social media body comparisons, and intentions to use AAS. Results showed that more time spent on social media and, to a lesser extent, web browsing, was significantly associated with higher intentions to use AAS. Additionally, more symptoms of social media addiction, more frequent exposure to muscularity-oriented social media content, and more frequent body comparisons on social media were each independently associated with higher intentions to use AAS. Findings highlight the importance of focusing not only on the duration but also on the content and context of social media engagement when addressing risks for AAS intentions. Strategies promoting media literacy and regulating online content may help reduce harmful influences among boys and young men. • Intention to use anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) is common among boys and men. • More time on social media is associated with higher AAS intentions. • Greater social media addiction is associated with higher AAS intentions • Frequent viewing of muscularity content is associated with higher AAS intentions. • Frequent social media body comparisons are associated with higher AAS intentions.