Teen tobacco use falls to 25-year low
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Roughly 8% of U.S. teens report using tobacco products — the lowest rate since 1999, according to 2024 federal estimates released on Thursday.
Why it matters: Despite significant declines, public health advocates warn the trend has been slowed by the popularity of products like flavored e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches among kids.
- About 1 in 12 middle and high school students still report current use of any tobacco product.
By the numbers: The Centers for Disease Control said 1 in 10 high school students reported use of tobacco products within the last 30 days.
- About 1 in 20 middle school students reported current tobacco use.
- Use was similar among male and female students, but males were likelier to report current use of multiple tobacco products.
- E-cigarettes were the most commonly reported tobacco product currently used (5.9%). That was followed by nicotine pouches (1.8%), cigarettes (1.4%), cigars (1.2%) and smokeless tobacco (1.2%).
- Current use of any combustible tobacco product was reported by 6.3% of American Indian/Alaska Native adolescents, followed by 4.1% Black, 3.9% of multiracial, 2.9% of Hispanic, and 2.4% of White teens.
The findings from the National Youth Tobacco Survey showed the effects of a big drop-off in e-cigarette use among high schoolers, which hit the lowest mark ever measured by the survey.
Between the lines: Advocates on Thursday still renewed calls for the Biden administration to finalize a delayed ban on menthol products.
- "With 2 million middle and high schoolers still reporting tobacco use, we have a long way to go before declaring victory. The next step is right in front of us," said Avenel Joseph, interim executive vice president at Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in a statement.
- The American Heart Association also called for the Food and Drug Administration to complete its review of all premarket tobacco applications and remove all unauthorized tobacco products from the market.
- "The data point to the critical need for strong regulation to prohibit the tobacco industry from targeting communities nationwide with harmful products once and for all," said AHA CEO Nancy Brown in a statement.
