CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Two new studies offer insight into the factors that coincide with adolescent inhalant use in the U.S., a dangerous pastime that can have lifelong — or life-ending — consequences.
The first report, described in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs , found that millions of Americans were exposed to content about recreational nitrous oxide use from just 30 videos posted on social media in early 2025. Some of the videos included demonstrations of how to use inhalants.
The second study, detailed in the journal Preventive Medicine , found that younger teens are more likely than older adolescents to engage in inhalant misuse and that adolescent girls, in particular, are more likely than boys to develop inhalant use disorder, a condition defined as a “problematic pattern of use of a hydrocarbon-based inhalant substance leading to clinically significant impairment or distress.”
American Indian/Native Alaskan adolescents also were at higher risk of inhalant use disorder, and youth with other behavioral warning signs, particularly those who had engaged in fighting, stealing or cannabis use, were also found to be at higher risk.
Recreational inhalant use can include inhaling fumes from nitrous oxide cannisters, spray paints, glues or other sources of volatile hydrocarbons. Users report experiencing brief but intense highs when they engage in this activity.
“Inhalant use can cause serious harm, including neurologic damage, hearing loss, liver and kidney dysfunction, cardiac arrhythmias, psychological dependence and even sudden death after a single episode of use,” said University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign health and kinesiology professor Rachel Hoopsick , who led the two studies with University of Mississippi public health professor Andrew Yockey , the corresponding author of both papers. Yockey will join the U. of I. health and kinesiology faculty in August 2026.
For the social media study, the researchers reviewed 30 videos related to nitrous oxide use that were posted in English on YouTube and/or TikTok between January and March 2025. They coded the videos for messenger/influencer characteristics, thematic content and engagement metrics.
The analysis revealed that even single videos about inhalant use had broad reach.
“Videos averaged 23 million views, 64,753 likes, and 9,500 shares. Half depicted personal experiences, 16.7% demonstrated use, and 10% promoted free trials,” the researchers wrote. “Most messengers were perceived as male (70%) and Black/African American (73.3%).”
None of the videos included age restrictions or health warnings, and content “frequently framed use as socially acceptable or entertaining.”
The “free trial” videos provided links or addresses offering free nitrous oxide products.
“The legal ambiguity surrounding the use of nitrous oxide for recreational purposes, its accessibility and affordability make it an attractive option for youth seeking a quick high, while online videos on sites like Instagram or TikTok often downplay or fail to mention potential risks,” Yockey said.
The Preventive Medicine study analyzed data from the 2021 and 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a nationally representative survey conducted in the U.S. The study found that 0.7% of adolescents 12-17 years of age reported having used inhalants in the month prior to being surveyed, 2.2% had used inhalants in the year prior and 0.2% met the criteria for inhalant use disorder. While the prevalence was low, these percentages suggest that well over half a million adolescents in the U.S. used inhalants in those years.
“Younger adolescents reported higher use — perhaps because these are some of the first drugs they try,” Yockey said. “We also know, from this study and others, that youth who report inhalant use are significantly more likely to engage in other substance use, including alcohol, cannabis, nicotine and prescription drug misuse.”
Behavioral problems also coincided with inhalant use, including fighting and stealing, the team found.
The finding that adolescent girls and American Indian/Native Alaskans were more likely to meet the criteria for inhalant use disorder will require a closer look at the social and environmental factors driving those vulnerabilities, the researchers said.
“These studies reinforce the idea that inhalant use disorder should be understood less as an isolated substance-specific problem and more as a marker of underlying behavioral and psychosocial dysregulation in high-risk adolescents,” Yockey said.
“Inhalants remain one of the least studied and least discussed substance-use categories, despite the seriousness of their health risks,” Hoopsick said. “Our work suggests that we still know too little about how social and digital environments shape perceptions of inhalants, especially nitrous oxide, and how that may influence normalization and use among youth.”
Editor’s notes :
To reach Andrew Yockey, email rayocke1@olemiss.edu
To reach Rachel Hoopsick, email hoopsick@illinois.edu
The paper “Social media portrayals of nitrous oxide normalize use and encourage youth exposure” is available online . DOI: 10.15288/jsad.25-00301
The paper “Adolescent inhalant misuse in the United States: Findings from the 2021–2023 national survey on drug use and health” is available online . DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2026.108567
Preventive Medicine
Data/statistical analysis
People
Adolescent inhalant misuse in the United States: Findings from the 2021–2023 national survey on drug use and health
5-Apr-2026
The authors report no conflicts of interest or competing interests.