A new study from the University of Mississippi found that 12- and 13-year-olds are most likely to try psychoactive inhalants such as nitrous oxide, glue or other household products.
Andrew Yockey, assistant professor of public health , and a team of researchers recently studied how many teens in the United States use inhalants and what factors are linked to that behavior. The study, published in Preventive Medicine , found that while overall usage rates are low, the risks remain high.
"Inhalant use among teens is relatively rare, but it disproportionately affects younger adolescents and those with other risky behaviors, making early, targeted prevention critical," Yockey said. "Even though inhalant use rates are low, it's still a major concern because it can cause severe, immediate harm – including brain damage or sudden death – even with limited use.
"It also tends to start at younger ages and cluster with other risky behaviors, making it an early warning sign for broader adolescent health problems."
Inhalants can be common household products such as spray paints, felt-tip markers, glues and cleaning fluids. Despite being readily accessible, the products can be deadly.
Nitrous oxide – for which deaths in the United States spiked by more than 500% between 2010 and 2023 – causes hypoxia, cutting off the flow of oxygen to the brain. It also can leave lasting brain damage.
Using data from the 2021 to 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health , a nationally representative survey, the researchers found that 2.2% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 had used inhalants in the last year. Younger adolescents were the most likely to use, and teenage girls had the highest odds of developing inhalant use disorder, or repeated use to the point of dependence.
Inhalant use was also strongly tied to certain behaviors such as smoking tobacco, getting into fights and stealing.
"The U.S. poison center actually indicated a 58% increase in intentional nitrous oxide exposure cases in recent years, and recreational use has, in fact, doubled in these young adults from the years 2015 to in 2021," Yockey said. "So while it may not seem that much on a national scale, it's becoming a bigger problem."
The reasons for use vary and aren't well understood. Girls could be at a higher risk of developing dependence as a coping mechanism for anxiety, depression, stress or as a response to peer dynamics, Yockey said.
Or, as evidenced in a separate Ole Miss study published in Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs , they could have seen it on social media.
Social media portrayals of nitrous oxide can lead to the normalization of use, said Amber Amis, a co-author of the study and an undergraduate integrated marketing communications student in Yockey's lab. These videos and testimonials can downplay or ignore harmful side effects and focus on the "fun" of being high.
"I think that what parents and these students should take away from this is just because something looks funny or harmless online, it does not mean that it's safe," Amis said. "Parents and students should be aware that social media can shape our perceptions and sometimes normalize risky behaviors without us even realizing it.
"In our study, the average of most of the videos was over 300,000 views. However, even a small number like that can influence a humongous audience."
Other videos, often those of people using or talking about using nitrous oxide, got millions of views, the researchers found. None of the content reviewed had age restrictions or content warnings.
"We need better moderation for harmful content, and we need more responsibility (in) how this substance-related content is shown, especially to these younger audiences," Amis said. "That comes with awareness among the parents, but it's also on the social media platforms to have awareness of this."
Preventive Medicine
Adolescent inhalant misuse in the United States: Findings from the 2021–2023 national survey on drug use and health