A QUARTER of children have now tried drugs with youngsters able to access illegal substances on social networks
- Social media is being blamed for a boom in drug use among children
- A quarter of school pupils now claim to have taken illegal substances
- Number of 11 to 15-year-olds who had admitted to trying drugs had shot up
- Has risen from 15 to 24 per cent in just two years, official report indicates
Social media is being blamed for a boom in drug use among children, as a quarter of school pupils now claim to have taken illegal substances.
Charities last night warned that children have never been more exposed to drugs.
An official report released yesterday said the number of 11 to 15-year-olds who had admitted to trying drugs had shot up from 15 to 24 per cent in just two years.
Experts said dangerous substances, from cannabis to cocaine, were more available than ever, with youngsters able to access them on social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.
Social media is being blamed for a boom in drug use among children, as a quarter of school pupils now claim to have taken illegal substances. Charities last night warned that children have never been more exposed to drugs (stock image) +1
Social media is being blamed for a boom in drug use among children, as a quarter of school pupils now claim to have taken illegal substances. Charities last night warned that children have never been more exposed to drugs (stock image)
The warning comes weeks after a Daily Mail investigation exposed how drug dealers were openly using the platforms to target children.
Almost a fifth of pupils said they had taken drugs within the past year, with girls just as likely as boys to have used them.
More than one in ten 11-year-olds said they had tried drugs, rising to 37 per cent by the age of 15, according to the data compiled by NHS Digital. Nick Hickmott, from charity Addaction, said: ‘The exposure is greater year upon year for young people, especially around substances like cannabis.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5365491/Quarter-children-tried-drugs.html#ixzz56qCBisLi
UK Drug Use Statistics 2018
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-drug-misuse-england-2018