Teen E-Cigarette Use on the Decline: CDC

A new survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds teen e-cigarette use is on the decline, to the lowest level in a decade.

The CDC found that about 1.6 million middle and high school students (about 6%) use e-cigarettes, compared with more than 5 million in 2019, CNN reports. About 500,000 fewer teens are now using e-cigarettes compared with last year, an almost 25% decrease in one year.

Sales of nicotine pouches have been rising since 2016. The survey found almost 500,000 teens – 1.8% — use nicotine pouches, up slightly from 1.5% in 2023. These are small, dissolvable packets placed between the lips and gum.

“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,” Brian King, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in a news release. “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.”