Youth Alcohol Use in the Digital Age: Harnessing longitudinal cohort data and living systematic reviews to inform prevention and harm minimisation.

Alcohol is a leading cause of disease burden in young Australians aged 15-24 years. The proliferation of digital technology and social media have seen concerning increases in access to alcohol among young people, yet the impacts of this accessibility are largely unknown. This project aims to identify and evaluate the risk and impact of increased access to alcohol on the physical and mental health of young Australians. We will do this through two scientifically rigorous methodologies.

First, we will extend a 16-year Australian longitudinal cohort study that has assessed children’s health and development since birth, to create a new, in-depth survey in adolescence. This survey will be co-designed with consumers and partners, and will focus on emerging methods of how young people access alcohol, the influence of social media, and associated patterns of use and alcohol-related harm. The cohort was originally established to identify the antecedents of alcohol use in children and families, and thus has comprehensive data on individual, family, peer and community risk and protective factors that will inform key prevention targets in early development.

This work will be complemented by a series of ‘living’ systematic reviews examining the impact of increased access to alcohol use on adolescent and young adult physical and mental health. We will use innovative artificial intelligence software to enable rapid updates as new evidence emerges, and to facilitate more seamless knowledge translation through our leading national partners headspace, the Australian Drug Foundation and ARACY. This project aligns with the key goals of the funding scheme and the Australian Medical Research and Innovation Priorities of: (1) preventative/public health research; (2) priority populations (young people); and (3) consumer-driven research. Results will inform approaches to public health, prevention and harm minimisation to reduce the adverse health impacts of alcohol on young Australians.