A report published this week by Swiss Addiction shows rising consumption of addictive products containing nicotine and alcohol among young people. Much of the rise is due to newer products such as e-cigarettes and snus adding to overall consumption.
Young people often use e-cigarettes in addition to regular cigarettes. Girls in particular are using them more frequently than before. 8% of 15-year-old girls and 7% 15-year-old boys of use e-cigarettes regularly. Addiction Switzerland blames disposable e-cigarettes specifically designed to appeal to young people for rising use. Studies show that people are drawn to the aromas, colours and flavours of these products.
At the same time, e-cigarettes are not displacing conventional cigarettes. Consumption of traditional tobacco products has remained largely unchanged. 7% of 15-year-old boys and 6% of girls the same age still smoke conventional cigarettes regularly.
Dangerous binge drinking is another growing problem among young people. Almost a quarter of 15-year-olds say they were drunk in the last month. 31% of 15-24 year old males and 20% of 15-24 year old females reported this behaviour.
Consumption of tobacco is increasing among even younger people. Among 13-year-olds, 6% smoked at least once a month, a figure that has doubled since 2018.
Use of social media is another area of rising addiction among the young. 7% of 15-year-olds use social media in a problematic way, particularly girls, said the report’s authors. A study from 2022 showed that half of 15-year-olds often use social networks to escape negative feelings, up from around a third in 2018.
More on this:
Swiss Addiction 2024 (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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