Perceived Risk of Fentanyl Use Among US Adolescents

Youth awareness of the dangers of fentanyl use has become increasingly important as adolescent overdose mortality has increased in recent years.

To present US nationally representative estimates of perceived risk of fentanyl use among adolescents.

This cross-sectional survey study of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students in 2025 included a nationally representative sample of students in the 48 contiguous US states who filled out surveys in class at school. Data were from the 2025 Monitoring the Future study, analyzed between January 15 and May 11, 2026.

Responses to questions on perceived risk of experimental (trying once or twice), occasional, and regular fentanyl use. Analyses used multiple imputation and Poisson regression models.

In this study, 3820 adolescents self-reported their perceived risk of fentanyl use (32.8% [1156] in 8th, 34.7% [1482] in 10th, and 32.5% [1182] in 12th grade; by demographic category, participants were 50.1% [1843] female; 35.2% [1185] Hispanic, 15.2% [544] non-Hispanic Black, 36.1% [1507] non-Hispanic White, and 13.5% [487] non-Hispanic other race). Less than half of 8th-grade students (47.8% [549]) attributed great risk to experimental use, while 57.2% (660) attributed great risk to occasional use, and 66.5% (768) attributed great risk to regular use. For students in 10th grade, 63.6% (925) attributed great risk to experimental use, 71.5% (1061) attributed great risk to occasional use, and 77.3% (1144) attributed great risk to regular use. For students in 12th grade, 69.8% (834) attributed great risk to experimental use, 78.5% (929) attributed great risk to occasional use, and 84.8% (1003) attributed great risk to regular use. Students in rural areas had the highest levels of perceived risk in 8th and 10th grade. Non-Hispanic White students were most likely to ascribe great risk to fentanyl use in all grades across all 3 categories of fentanyl use (experimental, occasional, and regular). In 8th grade, Hispanic students had the lowest levels of perceived risk for all 3 fentanyl categories, and in 10th and 12th grade, non-Hispanic Black students had the lowest levels.

In this survey study, an appreciable portion of adolescents-particularly the younger ones-were not aware of the dangers of fentanyl use. Clinicians, parents, schools, and public education programs all have important roles in communicating the potentially life-threatening risks of fentanyl misuse to adolescents.