A new European school survey shows that smoking and alcohol use among Lithuanian minors continues to decline, but experts warn that the misuse of over-the-counter and prescription medications is emerging as one of the country’s most serious youth health problems. Electronic cigarettes also remain highly popular, especially among younger girls.
According to the study, many Lithuanian teens try e-cigarettes before age 13. “We exceed the EU average and are among the leading countries where girls under 13 try electronic cigarettes, while boys try alcohol by that age,” said Klaipėda University professor Aelita Bredelytė.
Twelfth-grader Adelė said smoking and alcohol remain major issues. She believes peer pressure and social media influencers contribute to early experimentation.
“Especially nowadays, with social media, some people who are followed encourage this, and teens get invited to parties much more often than before,” she said.
At Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Engineering Lyceum, teachers say students who are caught smoking often claim the cigarettes or vaping devices belong to friends.
“They say they were just holding them or passing them along. And if the items do belong to them, they insist they bought them recently and have barely used them,” said Ernesta Smalinskė, the school’s deputy director for education.
Smalinskė said the school is expanding prevention efforts, working with internal specialists as well as outside psychologists, public health experts and police officers.
The survey also highlights a concerning decline in students’ mental health. Only half of Lithuanian teenagers report feeling well, and girls fare significantly worse than boys.
Prescription drug misuse is particularly alarming. Children are often given sedatives or sleeping pills by family members.
“Lithuania is among the EU countries with the highest non-prescribed use of sedatives and sleeping medications. Thirty-six percent of girls report using them,” Bredelytė said.
Rita Sketerskienė, director of the Drug, Tobacco and Alcohol Control Department, said these habits deepen emotional problems.
“There is a cause-and-effect link: emotional health declines, we give out medications without a doctor’s oversight, self-medicate, turn to e-cigarettes and develop related problems,” she said.
Despite the challenges, researchers note some positive trends. Lithuania now records its lowest level of cannabis use among students in 20 years, and teens report using cigarettes and alcohol less frequently.
Still, Bredelytė warned that Lithuania should prepare for new risks.
“Most European countries are already sounding the alarm about online gambling among youth. Trends change quickly, and we need to start considering preventive measures now,” she said.
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