New ESPAD survey results: Teen substance use down, but new risks emerging

While substance use among 15–16-year-old students in Europe continues its long-term decline, new behavioural and health risks are on the rise. The latest findings from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), released today, flag growing concerns over increasing e-cigarette use, the non-medical use of pharmaceutical drugs, and a sharp uptick in online gaming and gambling among teenagers. The findings also reveal a noticeable increase in risky behaviours among girls across several areas. The study, carried out in collaboration with the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) and coordinated by the Italian National Research Council, is based on a 2024 survey in 37 European countries, including 25 EU Member States (1). This is the eighth data-collection wave conducted by the ESPAD project since 1995. A total of 113 882 students (aged 15–16-years) participated in this latest survey round, responding to an anonymous questionnaire. This edition marks 30 years of monitoring adolescent risky behaviours across Europe. The 2024 ESPAD findings relate to students’ experience of, and perceptions about, a variety of substances, including: tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs, inhalants, pharmaceuticals and new psychoactive substances (NPS). Social media use, gaming and gambling are also covered. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and amid ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, ESPAD has also strengthened its focus on adolescent mental well-being....