It\u2019s a sobering report in one way. More American teenagers are staying away from alcohol, marijuana and nicotine \u2014 but two other vices are growing in use, according to a national survey released Wednesday. The federally-funded \u201cMonitoring the Future\u201d survey, run by the University of Michigan, collects responses from 24,000 students in grades 8, 10 and 12 across the country every year since 1975. 82% of 10th graders hadn\u2019t used alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes or electronic cigarettes in the past month, while 91% of 8th graders had abstained, a slight uptick from 2024. However, there was a concerning increase in the number of students using heroin and cocaine. The study also noted that sexual activity is down, echoing the general trend of people losing interest in frisky activities. One substance that stayed as popular as ever? Caffeine. The survey’s findings suggest that while there is a decline in the use of certain substances among teens, there is still a need for concern and vigilance when it comes to the use of heroin and cocaine. Q: What is the "Monitoring the Future" survey? Introduction to Teen Substance Use It\u2019s a sobering report in one way. More American teenagers are staying away from alcohol, marijuana and nicotine \u2014 but two other vices are growing in use, according to a national survey released Wednesday. While teens are drinking and smoking less, the use of two dangerous substances is on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":26825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-26823","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-wellness"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/117703848.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200&w=1200&resize=1200,799&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26823"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26823"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26826,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26823\/revisions\/26826"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWhile teens are drinking and smoking less, the use of two dangerous substances is on the rise in a concerning way. LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/p>\nThe "Monitoring the Future" Survey<\/h2>\n
\nResearchers found several similarities to the previous year\u2019s findings, with two notable exceptions.<\/p>\nDecline in Alcohol, Marijuana, and Nicotine Use<\/h2>\n
\nAnd both the 2024 and 2025 surveys found that roughly two-thirds of high school seniors said they hadn\u2019t drunk alcohol or used marijuana or tobacco products in the past month.<\/p>\nIncrease in Heroin and Cocaine Use<\/h2>\n
\nHeroin and cocaine use a slight, but concerning, increase in use amongst middle- and high-schoolers from 2024 data. Pixel-Shot \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span>
\nAll three grades saw rises in heroin use, while more 8th and 12th graders are now using cocaine than previously noted.
\nWhile the numbers are still \u201cleagues below what they were decades ago,\u201d the increases \u2014 all of which were less than a 1% difference from last year \u2014 still deserve a close eye, according to survey team lead Richard Miech.<\/p>\nOther Trends in Teen Behavior<\/h2>\n
\nAnd teen drug use has been declining steadily over recent years, with a dramatic decrease in the early days of the COVID pandemic.
\nResearchers have a few ideas why both overall substance use and sexual relations among teens continue to drop.
\n\u201cOnline connections don\u2019t create the same opportunities for experimenting with sex, alcohol or marijuana as unsupervised time face-to-face,\u201d said Rutgers University professor of Sexual and Reproductive Health Laura Lindberg.
\nOther factors that could explain the drop in drugs include efforts to stop young people from vaping and taxes on certain substances, making prices higher.<\/p>\nCaffeine Use Among Teens<\/h2>\n
\nMore than 20% of high schoolers and around 18% of tweens are downing energy drinks daily, despite the potential health risks of consuming too much caffeine.<\/p>\nConclusion<\/h2>\n
\nIt is essential for parents, educators, and policymakers to be aware of these trends and to work together to prevent and address substance use among teens.<\/p>\nFAQs<\/h2>\n
\nA: The "Monitoring the Future" survey is a federally-funded survey that collects responses from 24,000 students in grades 8, 10 and 12 across the country every year since 1975.
\nQ: What substances are seeing a decline in use among teens?
\nA: Alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine are seeing a decline in use among teens.
\nQ: What substances are seeing an increase in use among teens?
\nA: Heroin and cocaine are seeing an increase in use among teens.
\nQ: Why are teens using fewer substances?
\nA: Researchers believe that online connections, efforts to stop young people from vaping, and taxes on certain substances may be contributing to the decline in substance use among teens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"