New risks for teenagers, drugs and online gambling

"New risks" are increasing among adolescents: electronic cigarettes, drug abuse, gaming and online gambling. With particular concern for girls. Although substance use among 15-16 year old students in Europe continues to decline, new behaviors that are dangerous to health are on the rise. This is according to data from a study coordinated by the Institute of Clinical Physiology of the National Research Council, published in collaboration with the European Union Agency for Drugs (Euda), which is based on the 2024 survey in 37 European countries, including 25 EU member states. - ALCOHOL. Lifetime alcohol consumption among young people aged 15 to 16 has steadily decreased over 30 years, from 88% in 1995 to 74% in 2024, but despite a general decline, it remains widespread. The prevalence of binge drinking (5 or more drinks on the same occasion) has also decreased from 36% in 1995 to 30% in 2024. In this context, Italy, which is above the European average in terms of the spread of alcohol consumption (80% over a lifetime and 42% in the last 30 days, according to the survey), has lower levels of risky consumption (26% binge drinking). - SMOKING. The consumption of traditional cigarettes is decreasing but electronic cigarettes are increasing. The percentage of students who have smoked at least once in their lifetime has decreased by more than half, going from 68% in 1995 to 32% in 2024. Italy, despite having consumption levels above the European average, has observed one of the most significant decreases: the prevalence of smoking traditional cigarettes in life has gone from 55% in 2019 to 39% in 2024. But electronic smoking is increasing from 14% to 22%. And more girls are smoking. - ILLICIT DRUGS AND MEDICINES . Illicit drug use is decreasing, but concerns about non-prescription drug use are increasing: one in eight 16-year-old students (14%) reported having used an illicit drug at least once in their lifetime, with levels varying greatly between countries. Data show a steady decline in illicit drug use, with lifetime prevalence of use falling from 19% in 2015 to 14% in 2024. Cannabis is still the most common drug, although lifetime use has fallen to 12% from a peak of 18% in 2003 (11% in 1995). Even though Italy, with 18%, is above the European average, it has recorded a significant decrease compared to the latest surveys, corresponding to almost 10 percentage points (27% in both 2015 and 2019, years in which the highest prevalence rates in the last 30 years were observed). In our country, moreover, 5.2% of students have a cannabis consumption profile at risk of addiction. 3% of European sixteen-year-old students reported having used NPS (so-called designer drugs, newly developed chemical substances that imitate the effect of prohibited drugs) in their lifetime (3.4% in 2019), which means a higher level of consumption than amphetamine (1.8%), MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy or molly) (2.1%), cocaine (2.3%) and LSD/hallucinogens (1.8%) taken individually. The Italian data is average for NPS (3.2%) and amphetamines (1.5%), while below average for cocaine (1.7%), LSD/hallucinogens (1.8%) and MDMA (1.3%). Tranquilizers and sedatives are the most used drugs (8.5%), followed by painkillers (6.9%) and drugs for attention and hyperactivity (3.4%).

- ONLINE GAMBLING. While gambling rates have remained relatively stable since 2015, Italy is among the few European countries where a steady increase has been observed, from 28% in 2015 to 32% in 2019, to reach almost half (45%) of the 16-year-old student population in 2024. Meanwhile, gaming is increasing, particularly among girls, and the use of video games is significant, with 80% of students reporting playing in 2024 (up from 47% in 2015). It is estimated that 22% of students have problematic use of video games. Regarding social media use, almost half of students (47%) are reported to have problematic use (38% in 2015). Girls have higher levels of problematic use of social media.