The number of U.S. teens and tweens using tobacco products has reached a 25-year low. According to the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey, only 8 percent of middle and high school students — equivalent to 2.25 million — reported using any tobacco products in the past 30 days. This is a significant drop from 2019, when 23 percent, or just over 6 million, reported current tobacco use, largely driven by e-cigarette use, which accounted for 20 percent.
E-cigarettes remain the most popular choice among students, with 6 percent of middle and high school students using them in 2024, as reported on October 17 in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Nicotine pouches, which release nicotine when placed between the cheek and gum, came in second for the first time at nearly 2 percent, followed by cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco. The National Youth Tobacco Survey has been tracking student use since 1999.
High school students, at 10 percent, reported higher use of any tobacco product in the past 30 days compared to middle school students, at 5.4 percent. The use of e-cigarettes among high school students dropped from 10 percent in 2023 to just under 8 percent in 2024, a decrease of 350,000 students, which contributed significantly to the overall decline in tobacco use among all students surveyed.
Overall, only 8 percent of U.S. teens and tweens reported current use of tobacco products in 2024. However, disparities in tobacco use persist among different racial and ethnic groups. Past research has highlighted that the tobacco industry has historically targeted specific groups through advertising and marketing, such as promoting menthol cigarettes to Black communities and using tribal icons to target American Indian and Alaskan Native people.
Tobacco use often starts during adolescence, a critical period when exposure to nicotine can be particularly harmful to the developing brain. Nicotine affects cognitive functions such as learning, memory, and attention. The decline in tobacco use can be attributed to tobacco control programs at various levels, from federal to local.
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