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Key points
- Teen drug overdoses are on the rise.
- Overdose fatalities among young people are largely driven by fentanyl.
- Teens are being targeted by drug traffickers on social media.
- Raising youth awareness of the widespread counterfeit and deadly pills can save lives.
Despite an overall decrease in drug use among teens compared to prior years, one startling trend accelerated – drug overdose deaths. According to the latest available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 22 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18 died of a drug overdose every week in 2022, a rate more than double that of 2019. Now the 3rd leading cause of pediatric deaths behind firearm-related injuries and motor vehicle collisions, drug overdoses in teens are driven largely by fentanyl, which has been implicated in 75% of adolescent overdose fatalities.
Why is this happening?
- Fake pills resembling some of the most common prescription drugs that adolescents experiment with (e.g., prescription painkillers like oxycodone and benzodiazepines such as xanax) are increasingly being laced with fentanyl.
- Fentanyl is a highly potent opioid that can be lethal in very small quantities, especially for young people.
- Teens may be unaware of the rise in fake and deadly pills that are being sold on the streets.
- Accessing illicit – and potentially lethal – substances is easy for teens on social media
How do you know if a young person whom you know or love is at risk? Studies have shown that there are three particularly vulnerable groups of young people:
- Teens who are not addicted to opioids but are experimenting with substances. They can end up unknowingly ingesting fake prescription drugs containing fentanyl.
- Teens who have mental health difficulties and are seeking substances as a way of self-medicating their symptoms.
- Adolescents who already have opioid addiction and are knowingly using opioids.
Steps You Can Take to Prevent Youth Overdose
- Talk to your loved one about the risks associated with counterfeit pills and fentanyl. Avoid using fear tactics, but instead equip them with knowledge from valid sources such as the Drug Enforcement Agency, and empower them to use this knowledge combined with their best judgment to stay safe.
- If you know a young person who is using drugs, advise them to: (1) carry Narcan and keep it in places where they spend most of their time, and (2) never use drugs alone, given the risk of overdose.
- Since young people who overdose frequently get access to pills over social media, familiarize yourself with the emoji codes for buying and selling drugs.
