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White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, Kansas City, MO, USA

Alcohol use among teenagers is on the decline

We've previously written (www.whitehutchinson.com/ news/ lenews/ 2025/ september/ article102.shtml) about how the share of Americans who drink alcohol has fallen to a record low. Gen Z adults of drinking age (21-29) have lower participation and higher rates of abstinence from alcohol than prior generations at the same age (fewer drinks, more non-drinkers). New data on drinking among teenagers suggest that Gen Z minors and adults below drinking age (age 14-20) may drink even less at the same ages as current Gen Z drinking-age adults.

A long-standing decline in teen drinking began in the late '90s according to the Monitoring the Future Study that has tracked young people's substance use for half a century. The trend has only accelerated.

According to the study, in 2025, only 22% of 12^th graders drank alcohol, down from 33% a decade earlier. They are just three years away from the legal drinking age.

In 2025, past-30-day consumption among 8^th-, 10^th-, and 12^th-grade students remained at record lows. Drinking among teens has declined significantly over the past decade:

• 41% among 8^th graders,
• 48% among 10th graders
• 33% among 12th graders.

Janfaza Rachel, a Gen Z researcher and author of "The Up and Up (www.theupandup.us/ ) " newsletter says there are three reasons she thinks young people are drinking less:

• A pandemic shift on the social life for teens where socialization mostly happen online.
• Health and body optimization pressures are affecting both young women and men in particular through the GLP-1 craze, so-called "looksmaxxing" and skinny culture.
• For Gen Z, economic pressure is reducing dating. One study (newsroom.bankofamerica.com/ content/ newsroom/ press-releases/ 2025/ 07/ confronted-with-higher-living-costs--72--of-young-adults-take-ac.html) found that only roughly half of men and women are not spending any money on dates.

Takeaway

Gallup's July 2025 poll found that only 54% of U.S. adults now consume alcohol, down from 64% in 2019. For adults age 18-34, it's down from 57% in 2019 to 50% in 2025. All indications are that alcohol consumption will continue to decline in the future among young adults, a primary target market for most location-based entertainment centers (LBEs). This means a good selection of non-alcoholic specialty drinks, including mocktails, will becoming increasingly important to attract sober curious young adults and to maintain drinks' profitability.

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