Survey: Teen smoking hits 'landmark low'

Teens these days: They're watching less television, using condoms less frequently, and their smoking has hit a "landmark low." That's all according to a wide-ranging report about the behavior of high schoolers released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A survey of 13,000 teens concluded that they are "choosing health," said CDC Director Tom Frieden. In 2013, 15.7 percent of teens said they smoked — a steep decline from the survey's high of 36.4 percent in 1997. Additionally, the data revealed that they're getting into fewer physical fights, having less sex, and, perhaps to the chagrin of cable networks, watching less television.

Unfortunately, condom use is down to 59 percent — a four percent decrease since 2003. "We're very concerned to see the decrease in condom use," Frieden said. "We worked hard, we educated, and we had a steady increase in condom use until recent years. Now we've seen a slight decrease in condom use, and that's concerning."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up