In France, 24% of Seconde students had already used an illicit drug at least once. Out of all the Europeans surveyed, young French people are the most likely to report an experiment with cocaine (2.8%) at that age.

16% of 15–16-year-olds surveyed say they have used THC vape oil at least once in their lifetime, compared to 11% in 1995. On the other hand, their consumption of alcohol and tobacco is declining.

European adolescents are consuming less and less tobacco and alcohol, but are more attracted to cannabis, as "new addictive behaviors" develop online, warns a European study published Thursday.

The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), carried out since 1995 in collaboration with the European Union, interviewed in 2019 nearly 100,000 young people aged 15 to 16 and in 35 countries of the European continent.

Alcohol The study shows a steady decline in the attraction of young people to drink, mainly due to the tightening of laws on the sale of alcohol to minors.

Alcohol consumption remains high, however: on average, more than three-quarters of teens aged 15 to 16 have consumed alcohol in their lifetime and almost half (47%) have consumed it in the past month, compared to 63% in 2003.

"Heavy one-time drinking" drops to its lowest point" "Heavy one-time drinking" drops to its lowest level. This trend - notably through "binge drinking" which consists of drinking a lot in a short period of time - peaked in 2007.

Besides, less than 7% of students admit having experienced a state of intoxication before the age of 13, with strong disparities between countries. In France, 15% of second graders had excessively used alcohol in the past month.

Tobacco From the second class, daily cigarette smoking affects 10% of young people aged 15 to 16 in Europe, half as much as 25 years ago.

But the variables are considerable from one country surveyed to another: less than 2% of young daily smokers in Iceland, against a quarter of high school students in Bulgaria, while 22% of French adolescents smoked at least one cigarette during the month. Elapsed.

For the first time, researchers are also interested in the use of electronic cigarettes, very popular among young Americans, and much less in Europe. Curiously, among young people who say they have never smoked tobacco, 14% admit to having vaped nicotine at least once in the past month. In France, 16% of young people say they have used this device recently, which appeals to boys much more than girls.

Drugs 16% of the 15–16 year olds questioned declared havingbuy weed online at least once in their lifetime (11% in 1995). Frequent consumption (once a month) is also significantly increasing. While consumption deemed "problematic" (more than once a month) amounted to 4% of those questioned, with a very high prevalence in Italy (15%).

In France, 24% of Seconde pupils had already used an illicit drug at least once. Of all Europeans surveyed, young French people are the most likely to report experimenting with cocaine (2.8%) at that age.

Games, internet With the growing popularity of smartphones, video game addiction is exploding among young Europeans. In most countries, boys spend twice as much time playing it as girls.

And on social media, usage time ranges from two to three hours on a typical school day and six or more hours on other days. The latest trend is that gambling is once again popular with teenagers: 22% of young people surveyed said they had played at least one game in the past 12 months, mainly lotteries.