A new study by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Trends shows that the consumption of addictive products is decreasing among adolescents. The trend is particularly marked for tobacco.
Wiser teenagers? A study from the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Tendencies (OFDT) revealed on Thursday that 17-year-olds consume less alcohol, tobacco and drugs than previous generations. Tobacco is notoriously on the decline.
Less than half of 17-year-olds have never smoked a cigarette
By 2022, 8 out of 10 17-year-olds admit to having drunk alcohol, according to the study. A declining figure, since in 2000, they were 9 out of 10 to answer positively to the same question.
Same trend for cannabis consumption. Less than 1 in 3 teenagers (30%) say they have ever smoked it, while 4 in 10 young people say they have been users five years earlier.
On the tobacco side, the decline is even clearer: less than half of adolescents (46.5%) now say they have already smoked a cigarette, compared to 60% in 2017.
A “degraded” image of tobacco
This trend might be partly explained by the evolution of the image of tobacco, perceived in a more negative and much less subversive way by today’s young people compared to their elders.
“If there are fewer people who smoke, we will be less tempted to do so, especially if the image (of tobacco) is degraded”, estimates at the microphone of BFMTV Julien Morel d’Arleux, director of the OFDT .
The Office also notes a “change in status” of alcohol, which is no longer considered essential for festive evenings.
For the doctor specializing in public health Jean-Pierre Thierry, public health messages also have their effect. “The downward trend has been recorded for many years. (…) It means that (the messages of) prevention are passing”, he rejoices with BFMTV.
Le binge-drinking se popularise
The practitioner, however, mentions a downside concerning the consumption of alcohol. “Fortunately it is falling in France, because we have consumption levels in France which are very high compared to other countries”, he underlines.
He also notes the popularization of a risky practice among young people, binge-drinking, or the consumption of alcohol in large quantities over a short period of time.
“We know that (alcohol consumption) can start later in life, especially in engineering schools or in other settings where alcohol is very present on Friday evenings,” he explains.
The booming electronic cigarette
Regarding tobacco, if the cigarette is losing followers, its electronic version is on the other hand in full growth, especially among young people. Its consumption has tripled in the space of 5 years.
“Will the electronic cigarette facilitate, accelerate the transition to tobacco? Is it a substitute for tobacco?” Asks Fabien Jobard, president of the scientific college of the OFDT.
The consumption of electronic cigarettes is particularly driven by teenage girls. They are six times more likely than their male peers to vape daily.
Rather than a drop in addictions, Jean-Pierre Thierry rather puts forward a change in practices and underlines “the abuse of the smartphone and social networks among some”.