1 in 9 minors gamble online: Trimbos rings the alarm!

Revealing results from the School Monitor 2023 show that 1 in 9 youngs (10-16 years old) gambles online despite the fact that this is prohibited for minors. Vaping also remains popular among students with 14.3% using a vape in the last month. Smoking on the other hand has decreased slightly while the use of nitrous oxide has decreased sharply.

Gambling accessible to minors

The Trimbos Institute calls the figures surrounding online gambling “worrying”. Gambling is prohibited for young people because of the risks of addiction and problems later in life. Yet young people apparently find ways to gamble, such as through other people’s accounts or illegal websites.

“Every online gambler under the age of 18 who gambles for money is one too many. Young people must be better protected by us against the dangers of online gambling.”

Trimbos researcher Tony van Rooij

Vaping remains popular

Despite the proven health risks, vaping remains popular among students. In 2023, 14.3% of students used a vape, of which 4% even daily. Recent research showed that some vapes contain much more nicotine than legally permitted, which further increases the dangers.

Smoking decreases slightly

The number of students who smoke has decreased slightly compared to 2017. However the Trimbos Institute is concerned that this decline is stagnating. The strong decrease in the use of nitrous oxide is positive: in 2023 only 2% of students used nitrous oxide compared to 6.7% in 2019.

This may be due to the ban on the sale and possession of nitrous oxide as a drug and the increased information about the health risks.

Need for better prevention

The results from the School Monitor underline the need for better prevention and information in schools about the risks of gambling, but also vaping and smoking. Young people must be made aware of the dangers and helped to make healthier choices.