08.08.2024 - A survey conducted among ninth-graders shows that the trend of youth sobriety continues. 35 percent of young people have never used alcohol, and smoking is becoming increasingly rare. However, the long-standing positive trend in substance use has an exception: the use of e-cigarettes, or vapes, is increasing. Additionally, the use of nicotine pouches has become common since the removal of sales restrictions in 2023, with a quarter of young people reporting using nicotine pouches in 2024.
These findings are from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), which has been conducted every four years since 1995 in 23-39 European countries. The survey includes students who turn 16 during the survey year and are in the ninth grade in Finland.
Fewer young people drink alcohol, but the decline in binge drinking has stopped
The proportion of sober ninth-graders has increased from about 10 percent in 1995 to 35 percent in 2024. Binge drinking decreased until 2015 but has since leveled off. The proportion of youth who get drunk weekly has even slightly increased since 2019: in 2024, nine percent of boys and six percent of girls drank at least six units of alcohol weekly.
The survey also indicates that young people increasingly believe that heavy episodic drinking involves few health or other risks.
Smoking and snus experiments have decreased, but e-cigarette and nicotine pouch use is common
Daily smoking has further decreased among girls, while the decline among boys has stopped. In 2024, about six percent of ninth-grade boys and four percent of girls smoked daily. At the beginning of the decade, about 20 percent of young people smoked daily. However, e-cigarette experimentation has increased, with 40 percent of young people having tried them in 2024, compared to 34 percent in 2019. Nine percent of boys and 13 percent of girls reported using e-cigarettes daily.
The rise of snus use became a challenge in the 2010s. However, experiments with snus have decreased among both boys and girls compared to 2019. In 2024, 26 percent of boys and 13 percent of girls had tried snus, with about seven percent of boys and three percent of girls using it daily.
A new challenge is the increasing popularity of nicotine pouches among minors since the lifting of sales restrictions in 2023. In 2024, 31 percent of boys and 17 percent of girls reported having used nicotine pouches, with 11 percent of boys and three percent of girls using them daily.
"Young people are using nicotine pouches even more commonly than snus. There may also be a shift from snus to nicotine pouches. Nicotine pouches are highly addictive and harmful to the development of young brains," says THL's senior researcher Kirsimarja Raitasalo.
Raising the age limit for slot machines in 2011 drastically reduced youth gambling
The age limit for slot machines was raised from 15 to 18 in 2011. The proportion of girls who played slot machines weekly varied between five and eight percent from 1995 to 2011 but has since dropped to nearly zero. The proportion of boys who played weekly dropped from 45 percent in 2011 to four percent in 2024.
Since 2019, youth have also been asked about gambling in general, including online gambling and traditional gambling such as scratch cards and card games. In 2024, 25 percent of boys and four percent of girls reported gambling in the past 12 months, compared to 46 percent of boys and 21 percent of girls in 2019.
Fewer young people are using cannabis, but experimentation with stimulant drugs has increased
Cannabis experimentation and use among ninth-graders have slightly decreased in recent years, especially among boys. In 2024, 11 percent of boys and nine percent of girls had tried cannabis, compared to 13 and nine percent in 2019. Compared to 2019, young people perceive slightly more risks associated with cannabis use. However, they also believe that obtaining cannabis is easier than before.
The use of other illicit drugs among 15-16-year-olds remains rare. Four percent of young people reported having tried a drug other than cannabis, which is slightly higher than the three percent in 2019. There is an increase in the use of stimulant drugs, such as amphetamines, cocaine, and ecstasy.
Unlike with cannabis, young people's attitudes towards experimenting with ecstasy and amphetamines have become more favorable since 2019. In 2024, 15-16-year-olds perceived less risk associated with these drugs compared to five years ago. More young people also believe that obtaining these substances is easy.
"To prevent substance-related harm, it is important to provide factual information about substances, tobacco, and nicotine products, and the risks associated with their use. Schools, municipal youth services, and recreational communities play a crucial role in this. Supporting families with children and parenting from an early stage is also essential in preventing youth distress and risky behaviors, such as substance use," Raitasalo explains.
The international report of the ESPAD study will be completed in 2025, revealing how Finland compares to other European countries. It is already known that in Sweden and Norway, where both alcohol and cannabis use among 15-16-year-olds is somewhat lower than in Finland, alcohol use has continued to decrease, and there has been no change in cannabis use.
Source: THL
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