The popularity of synthetic cannabinoids (SCBs) is increasing the chance for adverse health issues in the United States. Moreover, social media platforms such as YouTube that provided a platform for user-generated content can convey misinformation or glorify use of SCBs. The aim of this study was to fill this gap by describing the content of the most popular YouTube videos containing content related to the SCBs. Videos with at least 1000 or more views found under the search terms “K2” and “spice” included in the analysis. The collective number of views was over 7.5 million. Nearly half of videos were consumer produced (n = 42). The most common content in the videos was description of K2 (n = 69), followed by mentioning dangers of using K2 (n = 47), mentioning side effects (n = 38) and showing a person using K2 (n = 37). One-third of videos (n = 34) promoted use of K2, while 22 videos mentioned risk of dying as a consequence of using K2. YouTube could be used as a surveillance tool to combat this epidemic, but instead, the most widely videos related to SCBs are uploaded by consumers. The content of these consumer videos on YouTube often provide the viewer with access to view a wide array of uploaders describing, encouraging, participating and promoting use.

Background: In the United States, skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer, with an estimated 5 million people treated per year and annual medical treatment expenditures that exceed 8 billion dollars. The purpose of this study was two-fold: 1) to enumerate the number of advertisements for skin products with and without Sun Protection Factor (SPF) and to further analyze the specific advertisements for sunblock to determine if models, when present, depict sun safe behaviors and 2) to enumerate the number of articles related to the skin for content. Both aims include an assessment for differences in age and in magazines targeting a Black or Latina population. Methods: The sample for this cross sectional study was comprised of 99 issues of 14 popular United States magazines marketed to women, four of which market to a Black or Latina audience. Results: There were 6,142 advertisements, of which 1,215 (19.8%, 95% CI: 18.8-20.8%) were related to skin products. Among the skin product advertisements, 1,145 (93.8%, 95% CI: 93.9-96.3%) depicted skin products without SPF. The majority of skin articles (91.2%, 95% CI: 91.7-100.0%), skin product advertisements (89.9%, 95% CI: 88.2-91.6%), and sunblock advertisements featuring models (were found in magazines aimed at the older (>24 yr) audience. Conclusion: Future research on this topic could focus on the extent to which images in these magazines translate into risky health behaviors, such as sun seeking, or excessive other harmful effects of UV radiation.

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