Record Low Drug Use Among Teens: New Survey Findings Revealed!

A recent survey has found that drug and alcohol use among teenagers hasn’t gone back up after it dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, two-thirds of 12th graders reported they hadn’t used alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes, or e-cigarettes in the last 30 days. This is the highest number of kids staying away from these substances since the survey began in 2017. Among 10th graders, 80% reported similar abstinence, marking another new high. For 8th graders, 90% said they hadn’t used any of these substances, which is the same number as last year.

The only noticeable increase was in the use of nicotine pouches. About 6% of 12th graders said they used them in the past year, up from 3% in 2023. Experts are unsure if this indicates a new health issue. Richard Miech from the University of Michigan, who leads the survey, mentioned, “It’s hard to know if we’re seeing the start of something, or not.”

The Monitoring the Future survey has been collecting data since 1975. This year’s results come from about 24,000 students in grades 8, 10, and 12 across the U.S. Experts, like Noah Kreski from Columbia University, consider this survey one of the best sources for national data on teen substance use.

During the pandemic, kids were told not to go to school or hang out with friends. They stayed home and were supervised by their parents. This led to a drop in all kinds of drug and alcohol use since young people usually experiment with substances in group settings. As lockdowns ended, many expected some kids to start using again, but that hasn’t happened.

Even before the pandemic, teen use of cigarettes, alcohol, and many drugs was already declining. Experts think that kids started using smartphones to communicate instead of gathering in groups, which kept them away from experimenting with drugs. Marijuana use wasn’t falling before the pandemic, and kids had started vaping more. But during the pandemic, both saw a continued decline.

Some experts believe the pandemic may have had a bigger impact. Miech noted that many teens who start trying e-cigarettes or drugs do so in the 9th grade. However, the kids who were in 9th grade during the lockdowns didn’t try those substances and weren’t able to influence younger students negatively. “The pandemic stopped the cycle of new kids coming in and being recruited to drug use,” he said.

Mental health may also play a role. After the pandemic, many kids reported feeling depressed and anxious. While depression can lead to substance use, some teens with anxiety are cautious about using drugs. Dr. Duncan Clark, a psychiatrist at the University of Pittsburgh, says, “Some teens with anxiety worry about substances. Additionally, they may be more socially shy and have fewer chances to use drugs. It’s a complicated relationship.”