◆이코노미스트가 글로벌 차세대 경제 리더, 청소년 기자단 영 저널리스트와 함께합니다. 영 저널리스트 기자단은 프리미엄 경제지 이코노미스트, 논술 전문 기관 Ni 에듀케이션과 함께 주요 시사 이슈를 팔로우업하고 직접 기획, 취재, 기사 작성 활동을 하며 사회적 문제를 고심하고 해결 방안을 제시하는 과정을 경험하게 됩니다. 이번 기사는 영 저널리스트 기자단이 현 사회현상에 대해 학생들 시선에서 ‘왜’라는 질문을 갖고 직접 취재해 작성한 기획기사입니다. 영 저널리스트 기자단의 기획기사는 영문과 국문, 두 형태로 게재합니다.  

[Young journalist Kim Jiyul] Drugs are no longer just a problem for adults. Recently, as the number of teens is exposed to drugs, the youth drug problem is emerging as a serious social problem nowadays. According to the Korea Customs Service, at  total of 617 cases, with 2,607 kg of drugs, were detected at the border stage in the first half of 2025. This is the amount of drugs that 89.33 million people could manage at one time. Compared to the first half of last year, the number of cases detected has increased by 70%, and the weight has increased by 800%, and it is the largest amount ever detected by weight. 

According to the National Police Agency, in 2023, there were about 1,477 teenagers doing drugs, as an increase of about 6.2 times compared to 2019(239). According to the Korean Association of Addiction Crimes, which is a study of the status and countermeasures of an adolescent's new drug addiction, teens are doing drugs because of stress, curiosity, entrance examination, etc. 

Teens mostly use SNS to get drugs. Telegram, Instagram, Discord are the main apps that teens can easily get drugs from. Direct overseas purchases and international mail are also ways that many teenagers have come into contact with drugs. One of the most typical ways they enter the country is by being disguised as sleeping pills or diet supplements.

Especially, because of diet, teenagers are starting drugs. As rumors spread on SNS that taking medicine called “butterfly medicine" could help them lose weight quickly and easily, illegal transactions between adolescents are increasing. “Butterfly drug” is a narcotic appetite suppressant called “diathamine” and 81 of the 102 people caught by police for trading “butterfly drug” in 2023 were teenagers.  

If it works after purchasing and taking “butterfly drugs”, teenagers look for a diet drug containing stronger drugs. In the case of female teenagers, taking narcotic appetite suppressants for dieting often leads to addiction, and there are many cases in which they fall into a vicious cycle of turning to other drugs such as sleep inducer due to side effects of addiction. 

There are two main categories for solutions to the teenagers drug problem. First, it is necessary to thoroughly analyze the routes of exposure to illegal drugs and preventive education to protect the youth themselves accordingly. Since teenagers mainly encounter drugs through SNS, teenagers should be educated about the seriousness of drugs through proper SNS use or cases of people who have experienced drugs through SNS. 

The second way is that it is necessary to create a more open space for teenagers about treatment for drug addiction. There are many teenagers who are struggling with anxiety, depression, and OCD, and also compulsion but are  passive about psychiatric treatment. This is the reason why teenagers are looking for drugs. There are many teenagers who refuse treatment even though they are already addicted to drugs. Teenagers often refuse treatment because they do not admit that they are addicted to drugs or lack awareness of the problem that they need treatment. In particular, they refuse treatment due to fear of keeping records of treatment or their surroundings during hospital treatment. When teenagers need psychiatric counseling and treatment due to academic stress or career concerns, there is a desperate need for a social system that can be approached naturally and comfortably.

ⓒ이코노미스트(https://economist.co.kr) '내일을 위한 경제뉴스 이코노미스트' 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지