The level of e-cigarette use among adolescents in many countries is worrying.
In a new report released today, the World Health Organization notes that the number of adolescents smoking and drinking alcohol is on the rise in Europe, Central Asia and Canada. When it comes to substance abuse, girls have caught up with or even surpassed boys.
According to the report, more than one in two 15-year-olds in the three regions has tried to drink alcohol, and one in five adolescents has recently used e-cigarettes. WHO is calling for urgent precautionary measures to this end.
Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said: "The widespread use of harmful substances by children is a serious public health threat in many countries within and outside Europe. ”
He added: "Since the human brain continues to develop in their 20s, we need to protect adolescents from toxic and dangerous products. ”
Alcohol and e-cigarettes are rampant
Alcohol consumption is still prevalent among teens, with 57% of 15-year-olds claiming to have tried alcohol and 37% having consumed alcohol in the last month. Approximately 1 in 10 adolescents of all age groups have experienced severe intoxication, at least twice. This proportion has risen from 5 per cent in the 13-year-old age group to 20 per cent in the 15-year-old age group, indicating an escalating trend in adolescent alcoholism.
E-cigarette use is also rising dramatically, surpassing traditional cigarettes, with 32% of 15-year-olds having tried e-cigarettes and 20% having used e-cigarettes in the past month. In contrast, 25% of 15-year-olds have smoked traditional cigarettes, and 15% have tried traditional cigarettes in the past month.
Surprisingly, there has been a slight decline in marijuana use: 15% of 15-year-olds surveyed had tried marijuana in 2022, compared to 14% in 2018. The report warns that smoking marijuana too early can lead to dependence and problematic smoking patterns later in life.
The report also highlights that while boys used to drink and smoke at a higher rate than girls, this trend appears to be changing. The proportion of girls who smoke, drink and use e-cigarettes before the age of 15 is now on par with or even more than boys.
Harmful product implantation
WHO experts expressed alarm at the inclusion of product promotions of various harmful substances in video games, entertainment programmes and other content aimed at adolescents through multimedia platforms, and called for comprehensive preventive measures.
"Nowadays, children are constantly exposed to targeted marketing of harmful products online, and pop culture such as video games normalizes these products," Krueger said. "To protect the health of adolescents, WHO is already working with countries to protect them from toxic and addictive products that can affect their quality of life in the future.
To curb the use of alcohol, nicotine and tobacco among adolescents, WHO wants countries to increase taxes, restrict where products are available and sold, and enforce a minimum legal age to buy.
WHO has also called for a ban on the addition of any flavourings to nicotine and tobacco products, including menthol, as well as a total ban on advertising on mainstream and social media platforms.
