This article is based on data from the FDA’s “Results from the Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey” (Source: FDA official website).

Declining Youth Tobacco Use: Key Insights from the 2024 NYTS

The 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), conducted by the FDA and CDC, revealed a continued decline in youth tobacco use compared to 2023. The survey, published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, provides insights into tobacco consumption patterns among middle and high school students in the U.S.

This year’s findings show a notable decrease in overall tobacco use among students, particularly in e-cigarette and hookah use. However, certain trends, such as high rates of flavored product use and frequent nicotine consumption, remain areas of concern.

Let’s examine the detailed breakdown of youth tobacco use patterns, frequency, product preferences, and public health efforts.

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1. Overall Youth Tobacco Use in 2024

📌 Key Findings

• 8.1% (2.25 million) of all students used tobacco in the past 30 days.
• 10.1% of high school students (1.58 million) reported tobacco use.
• 5.4% of middle school students (640,000) reported tobacco use.
• 2.8% of students (760,000) used any combustible tobacco product.
• 3.0% of students (840,000) used two or more tobacco products.

📌 Most Commonly Used Tobacco Products

• E-Cigarettes – 5.9%
• Nicotine Pouches – 1.8%
• Cigarettes – 1.4%
• Cigars, Smokeless Tobacco, and Other Oral Nicotine Products – 1.2% each
• Heated Tobacco Products – 0.8%
• Hookahs – 0.7%
• Pipe Tobacco – 0.5%

📌 Demographic Breakdown

• 16.3% of non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) students
• 10.0% of Black students
• 9.0% of Multiracial students
• 8.4% of Hispanic students

🔍 Summary: The overall decline in youth tobacco use suggests public health efforts are working. However, concerns remain regarding nicotine pouch use and flavored tobacco product consumption, which may contribute to sustained nicotine addiction among youth.

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2. E-Cigarette Use Among Youth

📌 Key Findings

• 5.9% (1.63 million) of students reported current e-cigarette use.
• 7.8% of high school students (1.21 million) used e-cigarettes.
• 3.5% of middle school students (410,000) used e-cigarettes.

📌 Frequency of E-Cigarette Use

• 26.3% of users vape daily.
• 38.4% use e-cigarettes on at least 20 of the past 30 days.

📌 Flavored E-Cigarette Use

• 87.6% of users reported using flavored e-cigarettes.
• Most popular flavors:
  • Fruit flavors
  • Candy, desserts, or other sweets
  • Mint and menthol
    ✔ 54.6% of users used “ice” or “iced” flavored e-cigarettes.

📌 Most Popular E-Cigarette Devices

• Disposable e-cigarettes – 55.6%
• Prefilled/refillable pods or cartridges – 15.6%

📌 Most Used E-Cigarette Brands

• Elf Bar – 36.1%
• Breeze – 19.9%
• Mr. Fog – 15.8%
• Vuse – 13.7%
• JUUL – 12.6%

🔍 Summary: E-cigarette use among youth has significantly declined since 2023, yet frequent and daily use remains high. Additionally, the preference for flavored e-cigarettes highlights the continued appeal of these products to young users.

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3. Nicotine Pouch Use Among Youth

📌 Key Findings

• 1.8% (480,000 students) reported current use of nicotine pouches.

📌 Frequency of Nicotine Pouch Use

• 22.4% use nicotine pouches daily.
• 29.3% use them on at least 20 of the past 30 days.

📌 Flavored Nicotine Pouch Use

• 85.6% of users reported using flavored nicotine pouches.
• Most popular flavors:
  • Mint
  • Fruit

📌 Most Used Nicotine Pouch Brands

• Zyn – 68.7%
• on! – 14.2%
• Rogue – 13.6%
• Velo – 10.7%
• Juice Head ZTN – 9.8%

🔍 Summary: Nicotine pouch use remains a growing concern, particularly due to flavored product appeal and high daily use rates among students.

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4. Public Health Education & Tobacco Prevention Efforts

📌 The FDA’s “The Real Cost” Campaign

• Educates teens about the health risks of cigarette and e-cigarette use.
• In 2021, 60.9% (15.8 million students) recognized the campaign.

📌 Tobacco Marketing & Youth Exposure

• 75.7% of youth reported seeing tobacco advertisements in stores, online, or in media.
• 73.5% of students using social media reported exposure to e-cigarette-related content.

🔍 Summary: While public health campaigns effectively raise awareness, youth continue to be exposed to tobacco advertisements and social media content that may encourage tobacco use.

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Final Thoughts: The Future of Youth Tobacco Prevention

The 2024 NYTS data highlights significant progress in reducing youth tobacco use, particularly e-cigarettes and hookahs. However, challenges persist, including:

• High rates of flavored product use, which appeal to young users.
• Frequent nicotine consumption, with many youth using e-cigarettes or nicotine pouches daily.
• Continued exposure to tobacco marketing, especially online and in retail settings.

To sustain and further reduce youth tobacco use, public health efforts must:

• Strengthen enforcement against flavored nicotine products.
• Expand education campaigns targeting e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches.
• Regulate online marketing to limit youth exposure to tobacco advertising.

By continuing to monitor trends and implement stronger policies, the FDA and CDC aim to protect the next generation from the harms of tobacco and nicotine addiction.