Study finds most American teenagers have never tasted alcohol

Fewer teenagers drank alcohol in 2023 compared to the previous year and most said they had never even tasted it, according to a new study.

The annual study, which surveyed 22,318 teens, was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and conducted by the University of Michigan and highlighted how alcohol use declined compared to last year among eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders.

The research, which was amplified by a deep dive into the data by US press, showed that teen use of all substances “decreased dramatically” between 2020 and 2021, when COVID-19 school closures and social distancing kept young people home.

Researchers explained that, owing to the pandemic, the restrictions have created a one-year delay in teen consumption patterns and, as such, this can lead to lower future trajectories of substance abuse.

The findings illustrated how, overall, teen alcohol consumption followed a downward trajectory since the 1990s and, in the digital age, teenagers have become less likely to imbibe beer, wine or spirits.

This year’s study also found that 78.5% of eighth-graders, 64.2% of 10th-graders and 47.2% of 12th-graders had never even consumed alcohol – an increase of about 3% for eighth-graders, 5.3% for 10th-graders and 8.9% for 12th-graders from last year’s study. Over the past decade of annual results, this also reflects a 24%, 42% and 35% surge in non-drinkers.

Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute for Drug Abuse and a psychiatrist specialising in addiction, told the Washington Times: “It is possible that teenagers might be relying [on] other reinforcers such as video gaming, social media and other apps as alternatives… but this is speculative at this point.”

Stanford University addiction researcher and psychologist Keith Humphreys agreed that US teens have become less likely than previous generations to engage in risky “drug and alcohol use, as well as sexual and antisocial behaviour.”

Leslie Kimball, executive director of the advocacy group Responsibility.org stated that the change was also down to parents speaking more openly with their children about alcohol.

Kimbell added: “We found that conversations between parents and kids have increased by over 30% over the past 20 years and in that same period, underage drinking declined by more than half. We are very proud of that progress.”