Fewer middle and high school students in the U.S. are using e-cigarettes, according to new data the Food and Drug Administration released Thursday. The agency said about 500,000 fewer U.S. youth said they are using electronic cigarettes this year compared with 2023 — the lowest level in a decade. About 6% of middle and high schoolers use e-cigarettes — down from 7.7% last year.

What You Need To Know

  • Fewer middle and high school students in the U.S. are using e-cigarettes, according to new data the Food and Drug Administration released Thursday

  • About 6% of middle and high schoolers use e-cigarettes — down from 7.7% last year

  • The FDA’s National Youth Tobacco Survey is conducted annually among middle grade and high school students

  • Slightly more middle and high school students are using nicotine pouches, according to the survey

“The continued decline in e-cigarette use among our nation’s youth is a monumental public health win,” FDA Center for Tobacco Products Director Brian King said in a statement.

The FDA’s National Youth Tobacco Survey is conducted annually among middle grade and high school students. This year’s study took place Jan. 22 through May 22.

High school students led the decline. The number of middle school students who reported they used e-cigarettes within the past year was unchanged. About 1.63 million middle and high schoolers currently use them, about a quarter of whom use them daily.

The majority of youth who smoke e-cigarettes use flavored products, with fruit, candy and mint being the most popular. Elf Bar was the most popular brand, followed by Breeze, Mr. Fog, Vuse and JUUL. 

“Youth use of tobacco products in any form, including e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, is unsafe,” Centers for Disease Control Office on Smoking and Health Director Deirdre Lawrence Kittner said in a statement. 

Tobacco use in the United States typically starts during adolescence, according to the CDC. Almost 90% of adults who smoke cigarettes daily tried smoking before the age of 18. 

Smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability and death in the United States, making up about 20% of deaths annually, the CDC says.

E-cigarettes have been the most popular tobacco product among youth for the past decade, but nicotine pouches are growing in popularity. About 1.8% of youth in the tobacco survey said they use the microfiber pouches with flavored nicotine powder that dissolves in the mouth. Of teen nicotine pouch users, 22.4% said they used them daily.

Zyn is the most popular brand, followed by on!, Rogue, Velo and Juice Head ZTN. Almost all of them are flavored. 

“While it’s encouraging to see these numbers currently remaining relatively low, the bottom line is that we are concerned about any youth appealing tobacco product,” King said. “Our guard is up. We are aware of the reported growing sales trends for nicotine pouches and are closely monitoring the evolving tobacco product landscape for threats to public health, particularly when it comes to kids.”