Teen Vaping Rates Have Dropped to Lowest Levels in 10 Years: Report

Following substantial efforts in recent years to address the teen vaping epidemic in the U.S., federal officials report that there has been a significant decline in use of e-cigarettes among youths, with half a million fewer middle school and high school students using the products in 2024, compared to 2023, continuing a trend that has seen teen vaping rates drop by one-third since 2019.

The findings were published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on September 5, outlining results from the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), which was conducted by researchers with the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Over the past decade, health experts and regulators have been waging a war against youth vaping rates in the U.S., after e-cigarettes became the most popular form of tobacco among teens, causing a new generation of Americans to develop harmful nicotine addictions.

The epidemic was sparked by easily concealable e-cigarettes like JUUL, as well as vaping products that flooded the market with fruity flavors and advertisements targeted at children, which has been blamed for undoing years of progress in the fight against teen tobacco use.

Although many manufacturers suggested that e-cigarettes were a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes, there has been a growing body of research linking vaping to negative health effects, including exposure to a range of toxic, cancer-causing chemicals. Vaping may also increase a person’s risk of suffering heart disease and cause the same level of damage to DNA as smoking traditional cigarettes.

Levels of Teens Vaping on Decline

The NYTS is an annual school-based self-reported survey of U.S. middle school and high school students, which was conducted from January 22 to May 22, 2024.

The study data showed a drop in the number of youths who vaped from 2023 to 2024, from 2.13 million students to 1.63 million. Researchers said the drop was mainly driven by fewer high school students vaping, which fell by about 250,000.

Among youth who reported that they still vape, 87% said they used flavored products. Of those, 62% said they used fruit flavors, 33% used candy flavors, and 25% used mint flavors, which federal regulators have been working to ban from the market.

Youth reported the most popular vape brands were Elf Bar, Breeze, Mr. Frog, Vuse and JUUL.

Research published in 2019 indicated teens vape more when using non-traditional and candy-like flavors, and a study published earlier this year linked higher rates of vaping among youth who use disposable cigarettes.

Officials said the drop in vaping is promising, since e-cigarette use has been a major health issue among teens in the U.S. But more work is still needed, including ongoing regulatory efforts by the FDA and the CDC to ensure the decrease continues and nicotine pouch use doesn’t become another epidemic among teens.

Nicotine Pouch Concerns

Even as vaping rates drop, concerns are beginning to shift to newer nicotine pouches, which are small candy or gum-sized packets placed in the mouth, which have become increasingly popular among teens.

Health experts have expressed growing concerns about youth use of nicotine pouches, which increased from 1.5% in 2023 to 1.8% of youths in 2024, according to the survey.

Roughly a half million teens reported nicotine pouch use, and 22% used nicotine pouches daily. Common brands included Zen, which was the most popular, followed by On!, the second most popular.

Regulators said the use of nicotine pouches is becoming more concerning since they can be hidden in the mouth easily, like chewing tobacco, and don’t give off a fume or vapor, making it harder for a teacher or parent to detect if a child is using them.