Data from the Ministry of Health's ESTUDES 2025 survey confirms a trend shift: alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use among young people aged 14 to 18 has fallen to historic lows in Spain. The news is surprising in a context where these substances were almost a generational rite of passage. It seems that young people have decided to prioritize other forms of leisure, leaving behind certain habits that marked their parents.
Technology as a catalyst for cleaner habits 📱
The decline in consumption is directly linked to the digitalization of youth leisure. Streaming platforms, social networks, and online video games offer socialization alternatives that do not require substances. Additionally, health and wellness apps, along with the proliferation of fitness and productivity content on TikTok or Instagram, have normalized a more conscious lifestyle. Algorithms, far from being just a danger, have created bubbles where smoking or drinking is less attractive than optimizing your gaming setup or your skincare routine.
But, what about virtual joints in the metaverse? 🤔
Now it turns out that the generation that could have been the most stoner prefers to vape watermelon-flavored liquid nicotine or watch streams until late. Good thing screens have saved us from alcoholic perdition, even though we now all have pixel eyes and turtle necks. Of course, the ritual of passing the joint has been replaced by sharing a meme. In the end, the hardest drug turns out to be infinite scrolling.