E-cigarette use among U.S. youth dropped to its lowest level in a decade, according to the recently released data from the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS).
The survey, from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found the number of youth who used e-cigarettes in 2024 is “approximately one-third of what it was at its peak in 2019, when over 5 million youth reported current e-cigarette use,” the FDA said in a statement released Thursday.
The survey found there was a significant drop in the number of U.S. middle and high school students who reported current e-cigarette use—a decrease from 2.13 million (7.7%) youth in 2023 to 1.63 million (5.9%) youth in 2024.
Half a million fewer U.S. youth reported current use of e-cigarettes in 2024 compared to 2023, the agency said.
The FDA said the 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 within the past year.
Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, called the decline a “monumental public health win,” and credited the “relentless efforts by the FDA, CDC and others, particularly over the past half decade.”
Despite the decline, King said “we can’t rest on our laurels, as there’s still more work to do to further reduce youth e-cigarette use.”
Among youth who currently used e-cigarettes, the most commonly reported brands were Elf Bar (36.1%), Breeze (19.9%), Mr. Fog (15.8%), Vuse (13.7%) and Juul (12.6%), according to the survey.
The agency noted that over the past year unauthorized Elf Bar products, which are a popular brand among youth, had a substantive drop in youth reporting use of this brand’s e-cigarette products. Under the Elf Bar brand there was a decline among U.S. youth use from 56.7% in 2023 to 36.1% in 2024, the agency said.
“The NYTS data further demonstrates the allure of flavors, with 87.6% of youth stating their preference for flavored e-cigarettes,” said Kathy Crosby, Truth Initiative CEO and president, in a statement. “Four out of the top five brands have not received pre-market authorization from the FDA and are on the market illegally. Despite many warning letters from the agency to both retailers and manufacturers, these brands persist in popularity among youth.”
While a decrease in e-cigarette use was observed among U.S. youth, nicotine pouch use among U.S. youth did not show a statistically significant change from 2023 (1.5% in 2023 and 1.8% in 2024).
“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.”
Of the nearly half a million middle and high school students who reported current nicotine pouch use, 22.4% used them daily.
The most commonly reported brands among that group were Swedish Match's Zyn (68.7%), Altria's On (14.2%), Swisher's Rogue (13.6%), British American Tobacco's Velo (10.7%) and Juice Head ZTN (9.8%), according to the survey. Among those who currently used nicotine pouches, the vast majority used flavored products (85.6%), with mint (53.3%), fruit (22.4%) and menthol (19.3%) being the most commonly used flavors.
The findings of the NYTS were collected between Jan. 22 and May 22. Current use is defined as use on one or more days during the past 30 days.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.