The mental health of teenagers and young adults has deteriorated overall, and not just since the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, the prevalence of drug use among young people has increased or remains at too high a level. The proportion of vulnerable young people has increased and they have a higher risk of turning to addictive substances. Addiction Switzerland notes that this is not enough to protect young people.
(red) The Swiss Addiction Panorama 2024 has shown that the majority of young people in Switzerland are doing quite well, but that the proportion of girls and boys with poor well-being has increased. Girls between the ages of 13 and 15 are particularly affected. The pandemic has certainly contributed to this deterioration, but studies show that the trend had already begun beforehand.
Cigarette consumption has not declined, while at the same time a new group of young people using e-cigarettes and snus has emerged. Girls are more affected than boys. The increase in cigarette and alcohol consumption among 13-year-olds is worrying. In addition, data on young people’s online activities show that in 2022, 4% of boys and more than twice as many girls (10%) aged 15 had problematic social network use, which is more than double the figure for girls compared to 2018.
The use of psychoactive substances by young people is influenced by individual and environmental factors, which are also interlinked. Risk factors such as stress, poor health or heavy product marketing and easy availability of psychoactive substances increase the likelihood of consumption. Protective factors such as good mental health, support and trust from parents reduce them. Poor health and mental well-being, as well as a strong sense of stress, are associated with more frequent alcohol, cigarette and e-cigarette consumption. The same can also be said for drugs “to get high”. And finally, half of 15-year-olds often used social networks to escape from negative feelings.
| Current addiction trends among young people at a glance |
| Alcohol The proportion of people who drink alcohol every day has fallen by more than half since 1992. On the other hand, 11% of women and 19% of men get drunk at least once a month. |
| Tobacco and nicotine products Cigarette consumption among young people is not declining and has also increased due to the consumption of puff bars. |
| Cannabis and illegal drugs The availability and use of cocaine and the corresponding problems are increasing. In addition, the visibility of drug use in public spaces is increasing. |
| Psychoactive drugs Drug abuse is widespread, with 12% of 15-year-olds having already experienced it. |
| Gambling and money games Gambling and money games are often played by younger people, mostly men. |
| Online activities New data suggests that around 3% of 15-year-olds who use video games do so in a problematic way. In the case of social media, it is a good 7% of 15-year-olds. |
Strengthen prevention
Successful prevention starts with regulation and environmental factors on the one hand and strengthens individuals to adopt healthy behavior on the other. However, factors such as the global and environmental situation, social media pressure and school have become more stressful for many young people. Today’s preventive measures are clearly no longer sufficient. The situation regarding substance use and certain problematic behaviors is not improving and remains worrying. That is why action must now be taken quickly. To this end, everyone involved should pull together and preventive measures should be expanded.
Source: «SCHWEIZER SUCHTPANORAMA 2024. Mehr gefährdete Jugendliche und zu wenig Schutz – Die Gesellschaft muss jetzt handeln!» Available at:
www.suchtschweiz.ch/press/schweizer-suchtpanorama-2024 (last accessed on 29.03.2024)
InFo NEUROLOGIE & PSYCHIATRIE 2024; 22(2): 38 (published on 12.4.24, ahead of print)
