How Do Youth Become Addicted? Effective Nicotine Addiction Prevention in Schools – Conclusions from the HAI Debate
The mental health crisis in children and adolescents, along with growing addictions, is a systemic problem that won't disappear without reliable prevention. How do young people become addicted, and what really works in preventing youth addiction? The conclusions from the debate at the PAP Press Center, initiated by the Human Answer Institute, are presented below.
The debate brought together representatives of the medical community, psychologists, public health experts, and youth representatives. Topics discussed included the biology of the maturing brain, peer and school pressure, and the digital environment, as well as how to design interventions that will effectively reduce nicotine initiation and use. The most frequently recurring theme was the current weakness of school-based prevention: a lack of coherence, an excess of "ex cathedra" education, and a failure to adapt language and format to how teenagers learn and communicate today. A second, closely related element is the co-creation of educational programs and social campaigns by young people to support prevention.
Educate, educate with the participation of young people, educate in a way that reaches young people, meaning in the process of creating this education, we talk to young people. We leave expert knowledge to experts, medical knowledge to doctors and professors. As young people, we simply expect legislators to work with us, with young people, with experts, to create clear, sensible health prevention in schools, which will not look like the one I described with my own example. (...) Over the past four years, we have had 90 minutes devoted specifically to the harmful effects of smoking," appealed Filip Hornik, a representative of Student Action.
Young people become addicted more quickly than adults. Their brains are still maturing, their reward systems are more responsive, their executive control is weaker, and habits are formed under conditions of peer pressure, academic stress, and the influence of social media. This underscores the priority of prevention, which experts have called for.
"First and foremost, prevention, not cure, means promoting a healthy lifestyle, but also high-level psychology in schools, teaching kids how to manage their emotions (...) and talking about goals and values. Addiction often distracts young people from what they truly want. (...) Therefore, working with a psychologist is crucial," emphasizes Dorota Kubiak, psychologist at the CBT Center.
From this perspective, teaching young people self-regulation, managing stress and sleep, building social skills, and developing "refusal plans" becomes crucial. Without this, even the best regulations will not solve the everyday problems in which pressure, boredom, and anxiety push young people to reach for nicotine.
Education is extremely important, but this education must be implemented with the young generation's understanding of communication skills (…) they no longer listen to us. If we, the communication and marketing people, don't change our style of operation, nothing will come of it," emphasized Katarzyna Życińska, CEO of 38Content Communication.
This leads to a practical consequence: an end to campaigns "for young people, but without the young." We need short, interactive formats: peer workshops, role-plays, field projects, short videos, co-created and co-led by young people.
The debate also highlighted the responsibility of the medical community in communicating with young people:
The consensus within the medical community is clear. A doctor has no right to say that something is healthier or less healthy when it comes to products containing nicotine, noted Dr. Łukasz Jankowski, president of the Supreme Medical Council.
This is an important reminder. In youth prevention, there is no room for "less harmful" nicotine compromises. The message must be clear: the goal is to avoid initiation and support cessation.
- Continuous youth participation in developing prevention programs. Youth councils at schools and local governments should co-decide on topics, formats, and testing of materials. The principle of "nothing about us without us" should be incorporated not only in the slogan but also in formal procedures.
- School-based peer prevention. Instead of more ex cathedra lectures: a 90-minute workshop led by trained student leaders with a psychologist, a class project "from young to young," reviews after 30 and 90 days: class contracts, mini-evaluation.
- Involvement of primary care providers and psychologists. Brief medical intervention, fast-track support: from a nurse or school psychologist to an addiction clinic. Reimbursed counseling services for minors.
- Smart language and channels. Materials created in collaboration with young people, based on their motivators: ecology, e.g., disposable waste, the financial costs of addiction, sports and performance, skin and sleep. Distributed where they are present: short-form videos, school social media, and field events.
- Parallel law enforcement. Prevention requires a "clean playing field": consistent control of sales to minors, both in-store and online, and closing loopholes in registration and loyalty programs for new nicotine products. This area requires further, separate analysis and monitoring by the state.
The conference achieved a rare consensus: without young people, we won't achieve effective prevention . We need rapid peer-based pilots in schools, clear roles for primary health care providers and psychologists, measurable indicators, and enforceable legislation. This is realistic and achievable, provided we stop "talking to the youth" and start working with them.
Updated: 29/08/2025 21:51
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