Wiser teens? A study by the French Observatory on Drugs and Addictive Tendencies (OFDT) revealed this Thursday that 17-year-olds consume less alcohol, tobacco and drugs than previous generations. Tobacco is noticeably on the decline.
Less than half of 17-year-olds have never smoked a cigarette
By 2022, 8 in 10 17-year-olds admit to drinking alcohol, according to the study. A decreasing number, since in the year 2000 there were 9 out of 10 who answered affirmatively to the same question.
Same trend for cannabis use. Less than 1 in 3 adolescents (30%) say they have ever smoked it, while 4 out of 10 young people say they have smoked it five years before.
On the tobacco side, the decline is even clearer: less than half of adolescents (46.5%) now say that they have already smoked a cigarette, compared to 60% in 2017.
A “degraded” image of tobacco
This trend could be partly explained by the evolution of the image of tobacco, perceived in a more negative and much less subversive way by today’s youth 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 Julien Morel d’Arleux, director of the OFDT, at the BFMTV microphone.
The Office is also seeing a “change of status” for alcohol, which is no longer considered essential for festive evenings.
For public health specialist Jean-Pierre Thierry, public health messages also have an effect. “The downward trend has been registered for many years. (…) It means that (the messages of) prevention are passing,” he rejoices with BFMTV.
Binge drinking is becoming popular
The practitioner, however, mentions a drawback related to alcohol consumption. “Fortunately it is falling in France, because we have very high levels of consumption in France compared to other countries,” he underlines.
It also confirms the popularization among young people of a risky practice, binge-drinking, or consumption of alcohol in large quantities and in a short space of time.
“We know that (alcohol use) can start later in life, especially in engineering schools or other settings where alcohol is heavily present on Friday nights,” he explains.
The booming electronic cigarette
As for tobacco, if the cigarette is losing followers, its electronic version, on the other hand, is 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 OFDT scientific college.
E-cigarette use is particularly driven by adolescent girls. They are six times more likely than their male peers to vape daily.
More than a drop in addictions, Jean-Pierre Thierry proposes a change in practice and underlines “the abuse of the smartphone and social networks among some”.
Source: BFM TV
