Addiction and the threat of overdose are forcing children to confront potentially life-threatening risks at increasingly young ages. Although overdose deaths have declined nationally in recent years, dangerous substances like fentanyl and xylazine continue to present serious risks for high school, college, and even middle school students.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), provisional estimates indicate that nearly 70,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2025, a decrease of almost 14% from 2024. While these declines represent encouraging progress, the presence of fentanyl in counterfeit prescription pills and other illicit drugs continues to make even a single instance of substance use potentially fatal.
In an effort to combat these risks, many colleges have begun stocking campus vending machines and other accessible locations with the overdose-reversal medication naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, in the hope that it will allow students, teachers, loved ones, and even general campus visitors free and barrier-free access to the medication. Some schools have also started supplying fentanyl test strips to help reduce the risk of fatal overdose.
Schools across the country have also expanded access to naloxone and overdose-response training, recognizing that students and faculty may be among the first people available to respond during an emergency.
In addition to emergency overdose-reversal measures, schools and communities can and should work together to prevent overdoses before they happen. This means recognizing emerging drug threats, addressing the underlying causes of substance use, and ensuring that students have access to the resources they need. Let’s take a look at how to accomplish this.
Recognizing โAll of Itโ
Although it’s become more urgent with the presence of newer and more powerful drugs, addiction among adolescents has been a problem for decades. It’s important that these risks are recognized with real and sensible policy, including harm-reduction resources like those being discussed. Rather than ignoring the realities and equating harm reduction with admitting defeat, it’s imperative that schools and communities take measures to save and preserve lives.
Recent data also offer an important distinction between the prevalence of substance use and the risks associated with it. The National Institute on Drug Abuse’s 2025 Monitoring the Future survey found that reported use of most drugs among adolescents remained at historically low levels. In fact, 91% of eighth graders, 82% of tenth graders, and 66% of twelfth graders reported abstaining from marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine during the previous 30 days.
These findings are encouraging, but they don’t eliminate the dangers associated with an increasingly unpredictable illicit drug supply. Students who experiment with counterfeit medications or other substances may be exposed to fentanyl without knowing it, making education and prevention essential even as overall substance use declines.
It’s also important to ensure that schools and communities understand their own unique internal issues that can lead to substance use in children, whether it’s a culture of bullying, poverty, trauma, or other factors that are so commonly linked to these issues.
Addressing the Root Causes
Overdose doesn’t happen in a vacuum. According to the CDC’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 40% of American high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and 19% reported being bullied at school. Preventing fatality means addressing the mental health and peer-interaction issues that can contribute to and sustain substance use.
The US Department of Education offers a variety of resources and webinars to help support students’ mental health during their daily school experience. Organizations like the Mental Health Coalition offer mental health toolkits for college students that help them navigate risks, manage stress, and access services if and when they need them.
Schools can also help by creating environments where students feel comfortable asking for help without fear of judgment or punishment. Early intervention, access to counseling, and communication between families and school personnel can help identify problems before they become emergencies.
There are also helpful resources to help students transitioning to colleges and universities prepare themselves for the risks of substance use. For many students, the transition means greater independence, new social pressures, and less direct supervision, making access to reliable information and mental health support especially important.
Knowing Where and How to Look
Drug trafficking has become easier and more sophisticated in recent years. In a time where practically every teenager has a smartphone, dealers can use social media and encrypted messaging platforms to advertise illicit drugs, communicate with potential buyers, and arrange transactions.
They also use coded and clandestine language to advertise on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. It’s imperative that parents and guardians understand how these platforms can be used to facilitate drug sales and maintain open conversations with their children about the risks.
Counterfeit prescription pills present a particularly serious concern. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), pills purchased through social media or from unverified sources may be made to resemble legitimate medications while containing fentanyl or other potentially dangerous substances. Students may believe they’re purchasing a familiar prescription drug without realizing that its contents are entirely different.
The DEA has also published information about commonly used emojis and other coded language associated with online drug sales. These symbols are always changing, so it’s important to stay informed without assuming that any single symbol or conversation is evidence of drug activity.
Going Beyond Narcan
As vital as overdose-reversal resources are, they’re only part of the overall harm-reduction equation. What happens when a student wakes up from an overdose? Will they have the help they need to ensure it doesn’t happen again? How will they get treatment? What will that treatment look like?
Naloxone can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose, but its effects are temporary, and emergency medical attention is still necessary. It also cannot reverse overdoses caused by non-opioid substances like xylazine, although it should still be administered when an opioid overdose is suspected because multiple substances may be involved.
The reality is that there remains a treatment gap for adolescents and children who need treatment for substance use and mental health because, simply put, they often fall through the cracks. Even those who access treatment may face barriers to completing their programs or receiving the continued support they need afterward.
Addressing these issues and providing a reliable pathway from crisis to care helps reduce the opportunity for another overdose episode. Schools, families, emergency responders, and treatment providers all have a role to play in ensuring that a student who experiences an overdose receives more than immediate medical intervention.
Adolescent Treatment at Recovery Unplugged
Recovery Unplugged offers addiction and mental health treatment for adolescents through our virtual intensive outpatient program in Virginia. Our virtual treatment program offers comprehensive care coordination, case management services, and personalized treatment to help teens address these complex issues while continuing to participate in their daily lives.
Treatment is covered by many private insurance plans and can include coordination with additional services when a higher level of care is needed.
Contact us today at 800-55-REHAB to learn more about how we can help you or a child you know who is struggling.