National Survey Finds Drop in Youth E-Cigarette Use
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Half a million fewer U.S. youth reported current use of e-cigarettes in 2024 compared to 2023, according to new data from the "National Youth Tobacco Survey" (NYTS) released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The survey found a significant drop in the number of U.S. middle and high school students who reported current (within the past 30 days) e-cigarette use, a decrease from 2.13 million (7.7%) youth in 2023 to 1.63 million (5.9%) in 2024.
This decline was largely driven by reduced e-cigarette use among high schoolers (1.56 million to 1.21 million), with no statistically significant change in current e-cigarette use among middle school students. The number of youth who used e-cigarettes in 2024 is approximately one-third of what it was at its peak in 2019, when more than five million youth reported current e-cigarette use.
"The continued decline in e-cigarette use among our nation's youth is a monumental public health win," said Brian King, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products. "This progress is a testament to the relentless efforts by the FDA, CDC and others, particularly over the past half decade. But we can't rest on our laurels, as there's still more work to do to further reduce youth e-cigarette use."
Youth E-Cigarette & Nicotine Pouch Use
Among youth who currently used e-cigarettes, 26.3% reported using e-cigarettes daily. The vast majority used flavored products (87.6%), with fruit (62.8%), candy (33.3%) and mint (25.1%) being the top three most commonly used flavors. The most popular youth brands included Elf Bar (36.1%), Breeze (19.9%), Mr. Fog (15.8%), Vuse (13.7%) and JUUL (12.6%).
Over the past year, a substantive drop occurred in reported use of products under the Elf Bar brand. Elf Bar is not authorized by the FDA and has been the subject of focused compliance and enforcement actions by the agency since early 2023, including more than 1,000 warning letters and 240 civil money penalties to retailers and others in the supply chain. The FDA has also issued import alerts for Elf Bar products, which places them on the "red list" and allows the agency to detain products without conducting a full inspection at the time of entry.
Youth nicotine pouch use did not show a statistically significant change from 2023. The most commonly reported brands among that group were Zyn (68.7%), on! (14.2%), Rogue (13.6%), Velo (10.7%) and Juice Head ZTN (9.8%). Among those who currently used nicotine pouches, the vast majority used flavored products (85.6%).
NYTS is an annual school-based, self-administered survey of U.S. middle (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12) students conducted Jan. 22 to May 22, 2024. The collected, nationally representative data includes findings on e-cigarette and nicotine pouch use among U.S. youth, two categories of tobacco products the FDA and CDC are monitoring closely, particularly regarding youth use and appeal.
The full results of the survey may be found here.