Youths’ views on vapes, mental health and more...

THE Results of the 2025 Planet Youth survey, which, captured the views of over 90% of Cavan and Monaghan teenagers about growing up in this region, have been revealed.

It was the third such survey of 15-16-year-olds from every secondary school and Youth Reach Centre in both counties since 2021.

Last week, ahead of the official launch date, the Celt had exclusive access to the results from the part of the survey which dealt with substance use as it showed some ‘worrying’ trends among our young people including that a quarter of all teens in Cavan and Monaghan reported trying alcohol before the age of 13.

However, the children were also asked questions about other aspects of their lives including school and family life, mental and physical health, and lifestyle.

The data collected directly from young people will now be used by Planet Youth Cavan and Monaghan and its partners who have a remit for youth to learn about, and understand, the lives of our young people.

Patricia Boyle from Monaghan and Cavan Youth Substance Support (MaCYSS) told the Celt the latest survey is an important indicator of the views of our young people, which, professionals can use to help formulate strategies to identify need, address issues and otherwise improve the lives of Cavan and Monaghan young people.

The official launch of the survey results took place in the Garage Theatre, Monaghan Town on Friday last, May 1.

Among the notable findings of the 2025 survey are:

Almost three quarters of girls and 60% of boys in both counties said they spend three hours or more on social media every day;

Over 40% of 15-16-year-olds say they were out after midnight at least once in past week;

45% of Cavan teens say they have a friend or someone close to them attempt suicide;

55% of girls and 70% of boys in Monaghan describe their mental health as ‘good or very good’;

34% of 15-16-year-olds in Cavan and 32% in Monaghan say they have thought about attempting suicide;

10% of teenagers in Monaghan said they had skipped school two or more days in the past month;

A third of all teenagers surveyed said they got alcohol “from a family member”;

27% of 15-16-year-olds in Cavan and 21% in Monaghan have smoked cigarettes;

13% of children in Monaghan and 16 % in Cavan say they use vapes every day.

Leisure

Almost three quarters of girls and 60% of boys in both counties said they spend three hours or more on social media every day.

Over half of Cavan (51%) and Monaghan (55%) teenagers play sports with a club three times or more per week while 34% in Cavan and 37% in Monaghan are involved in music or drama once a week or more.

42% in Cavan and 43% in Monaghan stated they were out after midnight once or more in the past week.

Health and Wellbeing

Forty-five per cent of Cavan teens and 27% in Monaghan say they have a friend or someone close to them attempt suicide a third of all those surveyed in both counties said they had thought of attempting suicide.

Only 25% of girls and 21% of boys in Cavan and Monaghan said they got an average of eight or more hours sleep a night, while around 70 % of girls and 80% of boys described their physical health as “good or very good”.

When it came to mental health, less than half of girls surveyed in Co Cavan – 48% - said their mental health was good or very good. The picture for the boys was better with 68% reporting they had good mental health.

The results from Monaghan were even more positive with 55% of girls and 70% of boys there describing their mental health as good.

Family

Interestingly, when it came to family life, the teenagers said that 96% of parents in Cavan and 98% in Monaghan disapprove of cannabis use but only 55% and 61 % of parents disapproved of drunkenness.

Of those teenagers surveyed 90% in Cavan and 92% in Monaghan reported that “it is easy to receive caring and warmth from their parents”.

While 70% of Cavan teenagers and 74% of Monaghan young people spend time with their parents on weekends, that drops to 64% and 67% respectively on weekdays. Meanwhile 84% and 86% said their parents know where they are in the evenings.

School

There was positive feedback from the 15 to 16-year-olds on school life with 85% of boys in Cavan and 77% of girls reporting they feel safe at school.

When asked if they feel their teachers are “kind and fair” to them, 85% of students in Cavan and Monaghan agreed. And, while only eight per cent of pupils said they wanted to change school on the flipside, only 52% said they “feel good” at school. The results were almost identical for Monaghan.

Substance use

The finding that 69% of all 15 to 16-year-olds in Cavan and 67% in Monaghan had tried alcohol in their lifetime may explain how 42% of them in both counties reported being drunk before.

Of that number, 24% in Monaghan and 21% in Cavan reported being drunk in the past 30 days. A third of all the teenagers surveyed said they got alcohol “from a family member”.

Perhaps surprisingly, considering the constant messaging about the health risks associated with smoking cigarettes is the number of Cavan and Monaghan 15 to 16-year-olds who said they smoked cigarettes at the time of the survey in November last year.

The percentage of teens who have smoked cigarettes in their lifetime is 27% in Cavan but only eight per cent in Monaghan. That percentage of teens who smoke every day is reflected accordingly in each county with six per cent of teenagers smoking cigarettes every day in Cavan and just two per cent in Monaghan.

As one might expect, vaping today is more popular with over a quarter of Cavan teens (27%) and a fifth of Monaghan young people (21%) admitting to using vapes in the past 30 days.

A worrying 13% of children in Monaghan and 16% in Cavan say they use vapes every day.

Patricia Boyle from MaCYSS pointed out that the survey did not differentiate between nicotine vapes and those laced with cannabinoids like Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC).

The results of the 2025 Planet Youth Cavan and Monaghan survey will be made available to the public soon on their website:

www.cavan-monaghan.planetyouth.ie