Rutgers University researchers have warned that teenagers who spend time scrolling on social media may face an increased risk of developing cancer later in life due to off-phone impulse purchases of cosmetic products containing hazardous chemicals.
The study highlights how easy scrolling on a train, in a waiting room, or during bouts of insomnia can lead to behavioral changes. Users browsing social media platforms are frequently exposed to promotions from influencers and advertisements for skincare, fragrance, and makeup items, triggering online impulse buying.
Many popular beauty and personal hygiene items contain hormone-disrupting or cancer-causing substances, including phthalates, parabens, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS or forever chemicals. Researchers at Rutgers, a public research university in New Jersey, found that increased product use driven by social media directly elevates exposure to these toxic ingredients.
Dr Emily Barrett, a biostatistician who led the study at Rutgers University, expressed concern over the findings. "We often hear that social media may hurt kids' mental health and socioemotional development," Dr Barrett said. "This study suggests another cause for concern: Social media's potential to increase the use of personal care products that often include hormone-disrupting and potentially carcinogenic chemicals."
Dr Barrett emphasized that adolescence represents a vulnerable biological window for chemical exposure. "Teenagers... are undergoing rapid changes, including in their hormones," she noted. "It may be a sensitive period in which better product choices could reduce chemical exposure."
Chemical risks in personal care products
Manufacturers add hormone-disrupting and cancer-causing chemicals to personal care goods to enhance product quality and extend shelf life. Parabens, such as propylparaben, function as preservatives in makeup and cosmetic items. Phthalates, including diethylphthalate, are used as binding agents to help stabilize fragrances.
In addition, forever chemicals such as PFAS are sometimes added to skincare formulas to make the skin look shinier after application. While recent industry reports show PFAS are now rarely used in cosmetics, parabens and phthalates remain widely used across personal hygiene products.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the federal agency overseeing cosmetics safety, regulates these substances and intervenes when reliable scientific evidence indicates human health risks. Many of these ingredients are banned in the United Kingdom and the European Union, but they remain permitted at specific levels under United States regulations.
Scientists have long expressed concern over chemical exposure, primarily based on animal studies showing that higher doses can cause cellular damage capable of initiating cancer. Though no teenagers in the Rutgers study were diagnosed with cancer during the research period, experts warned that exposure during youth could elevate disease risks later in life.
Survey findings at Princeton High School
To examine the relationship between social media habits and cosmetic use, the Rutgers team surveyed 143 students at Princeton High School, a public secondary school in New Jersey. The researchers gathered data on daily platform use, influencer engagement, and personal care habits.
Overall, participating high school students reported spending an average of two hours and 35 minutes on social media each day. Instagram and YouTube emerged as the most popular platforms among the teenagers surveyed.
The survey revealed that nearly 40 percent of students followed social media influencers who maintain their own product lines. Additionally, 40 percent of respondents reported purchasing beauty products directly from the internet.
While all surveyed students used basic personal care items such as soap, toothpaste, and shampoo, many also regularly applied fragrances and makeup. Female students reported using approximately twice as many personal care products as male students.
Influencer impact on product consumption
After controlling for variables such as gender and school grade level, researchers identified a direct link between social media activity and product consumption. Students who followed influencers with product lines used 30 percent more personal care products on average than non-followers.
The effect was even stronger among students who consumed beauty content. Teenagers who reported watching hair and beauty tutorials used 40 percent more products on average compared to those who did not watch tutorial videos.
Although the researchers did not disclose specific product brand names, they raised serious concerns that items bought by teens contain phthalates, parabens, phenols, or other endocrine-disrupting compounds. Despite these risks, only 19 percent of students reported checking ingredient labels, and just five percent regularly used a website or mobile app to identify safer products.
Wider health implications and usage guidelines
Prior scientific literature has consistently connected regular social media use to behavioral issues and higher rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, and anxiety. The Rutgers investigation is among the first peer-reviewed studies to establish a potential connection between social media scrolling and physical cancer risks.
Social media consumption remains high across age groups. Approximately eight in 10 adults use social media platforms, averaging two hours and 24 minutes per day. Among teenagers, daily usage surges beyond four hours according to national surveys.
While health authorities have not established a formal standard for healthy online screen time, medical experts generally recommend limiting social media engagement to under two hours per day. The study was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Exposure, Science and Environmental Epidemiology.
