More teens vaping, overusing social media, not sleeping enough; 20% not feeling healthy

There has been a clear increase in unhealthy behavior among Dutch teenagers aged 12 to 16 in the past two years. More teens are vaping and smoking, and more overuse social media, affecting their sleep, the health services RIVM and GGD said in their Youth Health Monitor 2023.

The health services surveyed over 188,000 teens in the second and fourth classes of regular secondary education in the autumn of 2023. They found that young people's perceived health is still declining and hasn’t bounced back as hoped since the pandemic. Eighty percent of teens experience their health as good, down from 88 percent in 2015.

In 2021, during the pandemic, young people felt less happy. “This measurement shows that, contrary to expectation, that has not changed,” the health service said. Girls reported struggling with their mental health twice as often as boys. They also experience suicidal thoughts more often. Last year, 4 percent of teenagers said they had often considered taking their own lives in the previous twelve months.

Compared to 2019, the last full year before the pandemic, young people experience more stress. Half of teens indicated that they often or very often feel stressed. Homework and “everything that a person has to do” were the two most mentioned reasons. More teens also reported being bullied (11 percent in 2019 and 18 percent last year).

An increased use of social media may play a role in the increased stress and bullying experienced by teens. According to the health services, 13 percent of young people are at risk of “problematic use of social media,” compared to 8 percent in 2019. “These young people indicate that they are sleep deprived or that they are neglecting their homework due to social media.”

The health services also raised concerns about teenagers vaping and smoking. The share of teens who vape has more than quadrupled in four years, from 2 percent in 2019 to 9 percent vaping at least once a week last year. Teens smoking cigarettes or rolling tobacco increased from 4 to 6 percent in the same period.

The health services also mentioned that about 1 percent of the young people surveyed indicated that they didn’t feel like a boy or girl. According to the researchers, many of their answers differ from others. A much lower percentage of this group indicated that they felt happy and healthy. These teens were also more likely to drink, vape, or smoke and struggle with mental health problems.