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INTRODUCTION: The depiction of substance use in popular music videos is a potential risk factor for consumption among children and adolescents. This study tested whether German and US hip-hop/rap videos differ in nicotine and cannabis content. METHODS: = 1,160). Videos were categorized by genre (hip-hop/rap vs. other) and by substance content (nicotine, cannabis, both, none). For videos containing nicotine or cannabis, occurrences were counted. Exposure was approximated by multiplying the number of occurrences by the number of views for each video (March 2025 view counts). In total, 4,478 occurrences of nicotine or cannabis were recorded, resulting in an estimated 57 billion nicotine and 49 billion cannabis impressions. CONCLUSIONS: Music video audiences are widely exposed to substance depictions, particularly in hip-hop/rap. In the USA, cannabis is particularly prevalent, while in Germany nicotine dominates. Preventive measures to reduce young people's exposure include age restrictions and warning messages.
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Morgenstern et al. (2026) studied this question.
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