The phenomenon of addiction to psychoactive substances is a global social problem. The problem concerns people of all ages, regardless of social status, gender or origin, with too many populations experimenting with intoxicants. The spreading phenomenon is increasingly affecting adolescents who, in the age of development and accessibility, are becoming a frequent consumer of consciousness-changing agents. The aim of the article is to approximate preventive measures that will reduce and eliminate the phenomenon of consumption of psychoactive substances by young people. The publication also addresses the issue of contemporary problems and threats that young people face in everyday life, as well as helps to find out the reasons for the use of toxic substances by adolescents. A significant part of the article is devoted to the role of the family, which plays a preventive role in eliminating the phenomenon. Not without significance is the school environment in which young people spend a significant amount of time. Preventive programs are also presented, which reduce the consumption of narcotic substances by adolescents.

Psychoactive substances that change consciousness have been accompanying man since time immemorial. They cause loss of control, disturbance of perception, change in perception of the world and the fall of one’s own humanity. The danger of addiction increasingly affects young people. Transformation of the family model, secularization, depression, stress and decline in value cause the phenomenon is gaining momentum. The potential that lies in the younger generation expires with every media information on drug gangs and alcohol robberies. The awakening of consciousness in the young generation seems crucial, so that they can refuse assertively and with full awareness. The content presented in the article shows an analysis of adolescents’ responses to the consumption of psychoactive substances by adolescents. The conclusions resulting from the article indicate the need for preventive measures on the part of the school and, above all, the family environment. The ability to work on one’s own weaknesses and finding a constructive alternative for spending free time are also key

The aim of the contribution was to map the degree of smartphone addiction in adolescents by means of The Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS-SV) short version designed by Kwon et al. (2013). The construct validity of the research tool was established by exploratory factor analysis. A unidimentional solution appeared suitable to work with. The internal consistency of the scale was determined by Cronbach’s alpha (0.831). 519 respondents aged 12 to 25 years (AM = 19.41; SD = 3.83) participated in the research. A statistically significant difference was confirmed in the degree of adolescents’ smartphone addiction by gender in favour of women, and by age, at which respondents got their first smartphones, in favour of those who got their smartphone at a younger age. The effect size of differences was weak. No statistically significant difference showed in the degree of smartphone addiction by school type attended by adolescents.