The so-called hink accounts, which openly advertise illegal alcohol sales to young people on social media, have existed for several years. In the report from the Central Association for Alcohol and Narcotics Information (CAN), 16 percent of the respondents, 16- and 18-year-olds, stated that they had at some point purchased alcohol from hink accounts.
There were slightly more boys (19 percent) than girls (15 percent) who stated that they had done so.
”Looks like Smirnoff”
Sara Kristensson, one of the report authors, describes that it seems to be a phenomenon that mainly exists in major cities.
That's where there's a market, she says.
It's also clear that the accounts come back despite being shut down.
It's very cynical. The accounts get blocked and then pop up again.
She herself has been out with night patrols and seen the bottles that young people get through the accounts.
It looks like Smirnoff, for example, and the kids think it's the real brand, but it's not.
Most common on Snapchat
The most common social media platform for purchasing from hink accounts was, according to the CAN report, Snapchat.
On both Friday and Saturday evenings, several young people from the Stockholm area have been taken to the hospital after drinking spirits they are believed to have accessed via social media.
On both occasions, the young people have shown symptoms consistent with isopropanol poisoning. The substance is used, among other things, to clean electronics. Symptoms that can occur if you ingest it include intoxication, low blood pressure, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
