The Impact of Media Literacy on Substance Use Behavior: Analyzing the Role of Media Consumption Behaviors as a Moderator.

This article investigates the relationship between media literacy for news, selective media consumption—including liberal, conservative, and social media use—and substance use behavior among U.S. adults. Using a cross-sectional online survey of 1,264 English-speaking U.S. residents, the study found that higher media literacy for news was associated with lower substance use, while greater use of liberal, conservative, and social media correlated with increased substance use. Notably, social media use moderated the protective effect of media literacy, with heavy social media engagement diminishing the negative association between media literacy and substance use. The findings suggest that media literacy interventions should address not only critical thinking skills but also patterns of media consumption, particularly social media use, to effectively mitigate substance use behaviors.