Young people in Sweden drinking less alcohol
Young Swedes are drinking less alcohol than they have since the 1970s, according to a new report by the Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAN).
Not since the 1970s have Swedish youth drunk so little alcohol. CAN's survey revealed that less than half, 42 percent, of ninth grade students responded that they have drunk alcohol in the last year. Even the use of drugs has decreased. This year, the percentage of students in the second year of high school who have used synthetic internet drugs is between three and four percent, which is one percent lower in comparison to last year's survey.
Anna Englund, a researcher at CAN, told newspaper Svenska Dagbladet Thursday that they have seen a downward trend in the use of alcohol and drugs by youth during the 2000s. She said that it is difficult to know the cause for sure, but one theory is that youth today are spending more time online, where alcohol does not usually play a role, like social media and online gaming.
