Social Media’s
Deadly Drug Problem.
Fentanyl is fueling an unprecedented drug crisis…
Drug-related deaths climbed to 93,000 in 2020, and soared past 108,000 in 2022 & 2023.
Teen drug deaths doubled in the first year of COVID, then surged another 20% in 2021.
Synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl analogues, caused the vast majority of deaths.
Drug-related deaths grew fastest among Black, Native American, and Latino teens.
…Unregulated social media apps are making it worse.
Social media platforms used by the majority of U.S. teens are flooded with drug dealers.
Kids think they are buying legitimate meds, which in fact are deadly counterfeits.
Parents are often unaware of the risk, believing the overdose crisis is driven by addicts.
Outdated legislation provides immunity to tech firms for hosting this illegal activity, calling it protected free speech.
We believe lawmakers can define the difference between free speech and criminal conduct.
ACCO members at VOID have done outreach to more than 40,000 teens.
“Education, awareness, and prevention are key to abating harms that social media platforms present to young people. We work closely with ACCO to hold tech companies responsible for the harms they spread.” —Jaime Puerta, VOI
Jaime Puerta speaks during a workshop for high school students next to a poster featuring a picture of his son Daniel, who died after ingesting half a deadly fentanyl pill in 2020.
Our members produced this video to educate parents and kids alike.
download ACCO’s narcotics Fact sheet
It’s free to download a pdf copy, but please consider making a $10 donation towards our research.
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