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US teen drug, alcohol and tobacco use continues to decline

Summary

Teen drug, alcohol, and tobacco use in the U.S. continues to decline, with record-low usage levels reported in 2023, according to the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future survey.

Among 12th graders, 66% reported no recent use of alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, while 80% of 10th graders and 90% of 8th graders avoided these substances entirely.

Experts attribute the decline partly to reduced peer pressure during the pandemic.

However, nicotine pouch use has doubled among 12th graders, raising concerns.

Despite pop culture's glamorization of smoking, teen cigarette use remains low.

US teen drug, alcohol and tobacco use continues to decline

Record numbers of teens now abstain, a trend starting during the Covid pandemic and continuing to the present
Marina Dunbar (The Guardian)
in reply to jeffw

lemmy - Link to source

Jarix

Gaming is very much a social activity.

Try finding a triple A game released in the last 10 years that hasnt been heavily designed around multiplayer.

It hasnt been until indie games have really caught on, perhaps as a result of the shift towards open world multiplayer gaming that now dominates, that there is still a market for those types of games.

I know multiple married people that used gaming to connect with each other when they had to be apart.

I was actually on one of those married couples first date because they played league of legends, and that was how I even knew them.

in reply to Jarix

lemmy - Link to source

Pasta Dental

I believe social media isn't a social activity because you are laying down on your bed typing on your phone chasing likes and replies. And also comparing a long distance relationship to an in-person one is ridiculous. They are completely different because you are not talking to a person, you are talking to a screen. There is absolutely no comparison to be made between online social activities and real life ones. Talking or gaming online is absolutely different from going out with friends at a chalet for a weekend and it's a ridiculous thing to say they are similar
This entry was edited (1 year ago)
in reply to Lost_My_Mind

lemmy - Link to source

AA5B

I hope that’s just your experience - being relegated to mobile games would be sad. I mean I’m addicted too but I recognize they’re just a time and attention waster.

My older teens are pretty avid gamers as are their friends. One of them started a gaming club at his school! They’re such great kids they sometimes let their Mom or me join a party, and they don’t laugh too hard. But seriously, that’s how they socialize ever since COViD. They’ll spend the entire night in a group chat, listening to music, sometimes teaming up sometimes not, just playing video games and spending time with friends. It works

This entry was edited (1 year ago)
in reply to someguy3

lemmy - Link to source

scarabic

Yeah as much as this is good news, I think it’s just a sign of changes that have come in the digital age. Young people go out less in general, because their social life is all online. This is probably safer for them at the end of the day - less driving and less access to substances through friends. But still… the fact that young people are glued to their screens all the time is disturbing. Their lives may be longer, but what is the point of living when all you do is sit inside and consume social media?
in reply to technomad

lemmy - Link to source

spujb

Most studies found that raising cigarette prices through increased taxes is a highly effective measure for reducing smoking among youth, young adults, and persons of low socioeconomic status. However, there is a striking lack of evidence about the impact of increasing cigarette prices on smoking behavior in heavy/long-term smokers, persons with a dual diagnosis and Aboriginals. nih
in reply to spujb

lemmy - Link to source

PaupersSerenade

Aboriginal is mostly associated with Australia, but since this is a Canadian study I thought it would be helpful to link to the tribes there.

For North Americans the term most often heard in popular usage is ‘Indigenous’

indigenous peoples within the boundaries of Canada

Contributors to Wikimedia projects (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.)
in reply to boredsquirrel (he)

lemmy - Link to source

I'll be on ShareMySims@lemmy.dbzer0.com

Decolonization of Tobacco in Indigenous Communities of Turtle Island (North America) - PMC

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
in reply to jeffw

lemmy - Link to source

desktop_user [they/them]

because if the survey was done on school computers the students likely know/assume the computer has administrative spyware on it. I know this because when I took a similar survey to this at my school the known spyware program was still running while we took the "anonymous" survey.

No one in their right mind should trust anonymous surveys taken on computers that a known surveillance agency controls.

in reply to jeffw

lemmy - Link to source

jj4211

in reply to MicroWave

lemmy - Link to source

jjjalljs

On the one hand, cigarettes are bad and everyone should quit. And alcohol should be used in moderation. And many drugs are very dangerous and addictive and should be avoided. So this is probably good.

On the other hand, if this means are just sitting home alone, maybe having parasocial relationships with influencers, that's sad.

in reply to Rooty

piefed - Link to source

socsa

Going out to party isn't bad. Sitting at home using drugs and alcohol compulsively because you are addicted is bad. It's a fine line to walk but lots of people do it. I did every drug under the sun as a youth and turned out fine, and this applies to pretty much my entire university cohort. Not a single one of them ended up as a junkie.

Should we encourage kids to drink and do drugs? I don't know tbh. That experience was genuinely positive for me because it gets me out there in the world, made me friends and memories and taught me lessons about moderation. From my point of view the people who ended up getting the shit end of the stick were the handful of people I know who got addicted to WoW and online gambling, not the one who did drugs on occasion. But apparently those things are becoming common and culturally acceptable while partying isn't. Take that as you will.

in reply to socsa

lemmy - Link to source

AA5B

For my kid who is very athletic, I always phrased it as “don’t destroy your cardio by inhaling any ashes or burning stuff”

But he is so strait laced and so careful with his health that it’s not really an issue.

My other kid is a different story. Luckily he doesn’t like the smell of cigarettes or pot smoke, but I found out his vice when he offered me a gummy. First: cool, second: shit, I was supposed to yell at you

in reply to jjjalljs

mbin - Link to source

NoneOfUrBusiness

There you go.

TLDR: Alcohol is a psychoactive, addictive carcinogen that will give you cancer no matter the consumption (though of course the more you drink the worse it becomes). It'll also fuck up your liver, but that's not mentioned in this article as it focuses on cancer.

That aside, where did you get that cigarettes are more addictive than alcohol? Only one of these will literally kill you if you quit cold turkey unprepared and it's not cigarettes.

item

The risks and harms associated with drinking alcohol have been systematically evaluated over the years and are well documented.
www.who.int
in reply to NoneOfUrBusiness

lemmy - Link to source

jjjalljs

Most people I've known who smoke are addicted. They get moody and other withdrawal symptoms. No one I know has a similar relationship with alcohol. This is not a scientific study, but that's been my experience. I know there are alcoholics in the world.

Also nicotine and cigarettes are known to be addictive nida.nih.gov/publications/rese…

I'm pretty sure "stopping drinking cold turkey will kill you" is kind of hyperbolic. Most people aren't drinking that heavily. This thread started on the point of moderate drinking.

I acknowledge that even light drinking is unsafe. I wasn't aware it that plausibly that hazardous. Unfortunately, many things are unsafe and I don't think alcohol is going away any time soon. Going out for a drink with friends, there's probably a bunch of hazards there. Unhealthy foods, car exhaust, staying up late.

Is nicotine addictive? | National Institute on Drug Abuse

Yes. Most smokers use tobacco regularly because they are addicted to nicotine. Addiction is characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and use, even in the face of negative health consequences.
National Institute on Drug Abuse
in reply to bluewing

lemmy - Link to source

UnderpantsWeevil

in reply to SmokeyDope

lemmy - Link to source

Empricorn

Who's "they"? This is a university study, not one sponsored by Budweiser/Marlboro.

Also, they didn't bother separating based on legality, but did research marijuana use and no, it's not on the rise:

The results show that a whopping 66% of 12th graders reported no use of alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes or e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. This is the highest abstinence rate recorded since the survey began tracking it in 2017.

Also surprising is that marijuana usage among teens is declining – despite a notable upward trend for adults across the US.

in reply to MicroWave

lemmy - Link to source

RememberTheApollo_

This entry was edited (1 year ago)
in reply to RememberTheApollo_

lemmy - Link to source

SoftTeeth

People are also more poor in general.

Wages have been stagnating for over 50 years.

Independence requires financial independence.

It's not possible to meaningfully participate in society without disposable income.

This leads to the avg person having less power and influence than almost any of their ancestors.

Unfortunately nothing will meaningfully improve until the rich fear for their lives

in reply to SoftTeeth

lemmy - Link to source

supersquirrel

This entry was edited (1 year ago)
in reply to RememberTheApollo_

lemmy - Link to source

MutilationWave

This is a big part of it for sure. I have a 21 year old nephew who refuses to get his license. He just says yeah I've got lots of friends that drive me where I need to go. It's not always going to be like that, kid.

I got my learner's permit the day I turned 15 and my license the day I turned 16. Couldn't wait to get away from my family.

This entry was edited (1 year ago)
in reply to socsa

lemmy - Link to source

AA5B

This is why I’m so annoyed at college “police services” and serious crackdowns on protests. WTF, college, this is not what I pay you for. I pay you to be a sandbox where little Johnny can grow and develop and find his voice. Yes, also suffer consequences for his mistakes, but non-serious consequences. Your job is to better prepare him for life, not ruin his life.

My own effing Alma mater glorified building takeovers from the 1960s, talking about the good changes that eventually developed, but then they changed from being a “security” force trying to protect the kids to a “police” force so they can carry guns and arrest kids. Then during the BLM demonstrations they started arresting kids and kicking them out. WTF.

This entry was edited (1 year ago)
in reply to AA5B

lemmy - Link to source

WoodScientist

Seriously. The rule should be, "occupy whatever the hell you want. Just don't create a fire hazard or prevent people from doing their job." Want to sit-in on the hallway outside the university president's office? Fine. Just keep the number small enough to not be a fire hazard. Feel free to shout whatever you want at them while they walk to their door. Don't do anything stupid like chaining yourself to the university president, and you'll be fine.

Yeah, it would be a bit annoying to be that president and to have to walk past protesters during terms. But so what? You signed up to be the president of the university, the human face of the campus administration. You're the highest paid person on campus, behind only the football coach. Don't want to deal with blue haired teenagers shouting at you? Don't sign up to be a university president!

in reply to x00z

lemmy - Link to source

solstice

I just saw a documentary of some sort talking about how movies and tv shows these days are specifically designed to be watchable with minimal viewer engagement because everyone is on their phone and the tv is a second screen. At least, I think that's what they were saying, I was barely paying attention because I was on my phone doom scrolling. I've done every drug in the book plus a bunch that I'd be seriously impressed if you had ever heard of them, and none of them touch the addictiveness of my stupid phone.
in reply to OpenPassageways

lemmy - Link to source

Grandwolf319

Not only that but back then you didn’t have to worry about it with a simple rule:

They ask you a question, do they know your name or who you are? No? It’s anonymous.


Now you don’t have that anymore. Anything can be linked backed to you cause there is always a digital finger print.

Even if you ask random people on the street, there is facial recognition and cameras everywhere.

This entry was edited (1 year ago)
in reply to MicroWave

lemmy - Link to source

Krudler

Oy.

Yes, these self-reporting polls have been used for decade as one measurement device. They were fine when it was self-evident what "smoking", "drinking", and "drugs" meant.

Now the issues are far more complex and nuanced, and we now live in a world where the pharmacological knowledge of today's random 14yo outshines what I would have learned in 2nd year university in the 90s.

Kids drink cough syrup recreationally because "that's not drugs". We still live in world of denial where benzos are "drugs" but alcohol isn't because idk I guess the active molecules are suspended in liquid?

Young people have been propagandized and lied to, to the point many don't even know if they're "smoking" or not.

in reply to Steve Dice

lemmy - Link to source

TankovayaDiviziya

You also have to give credit to youngins these days that they are smart enough to spend money by going to gym and choosing to live a healthier lifestyle instead. This is according to many news report.

And also, I think the rise of social media is to be credited as well because instead of going out to socialise, the younger generation are socialising digitally. Of course social media has its drawbacks, which is getting highlighted more in recent years for understandable reasons, but it also has an upside and really it offers many alternatives that traditions couldn't. I know us older folks begrudge social media, but hey, it's here to stay. For better or worse.

Unknown parent

lemmy - Link to source

UltraGiGaGigantic

I might just be lucky, but I've had great success in getting in random friend groups while playing games where you can build things and explore.

Valheim, space engineers, minecraft, terraria. Stuff like that.

I think maybe it has to do with people logging into the dedicated server and seeing the stuff you build and they think of you. Plus lots of those servers will have a discord and that's basically getting into a ton of people's DMs. You can post in the discord music you like, funny dumb pictures and memes. Stuff that really shows what you're interested in. This way people can see if they're into the same stuff as you. Then you can branch out to other games or even meet ups IRL.

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