Findings from the National Youth Tobacco Survey show significant declines in e-cigarette and cigarette use among middle and high school students.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways:
- Declining Usage Trends: Data from 2022 to 2025 indicate that current tobacco use, including e-cigarettes and cigarettes, has decreased among US middle and high school students.
- Stable Nicotine Pouch Use: While nicotine pouch use among high school students saw an increase over a three-year period, the prevalence remained low and stable between 2024 and 2025.
- Regulatory Oversight: Monitoring youth trends informs the FDA product review process and helps the agency determine which products can be authorized as lower-risk options for adults.
The USFDA published its analysis of the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), revealing that approximately 2 million middle and high school students reported current tobacco use.
According to the report, current use—defined as use on one or more days during the past 30 days—accounted for 7.2% of the US student population. This data reflects a decline in the use of tobacco products overall, combusted tobacco products, and e-cigarettes during the period between 2022 and 2025.
The findings, which were also published in a peer-reviewed article in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, noted that 2.7% of students reported using multiple tobacco products, and 2.6% used any combusted tobacco products.
“Youth tobacco use is at historic lows, and FDA aims to keep it low through continued investments in educational efforts like ‘The Real Cost’ prevention campaign and robust compliance and enforcement actions,” said the FDA.
The agency recently issued warning letters to retailers selling unauthorized tobacco products that resembled candy, breath strips, and cough drops.
While the number of high school students reporting nicotine pouch use increased between 2022 and 2025, the FDA noted that youth use of these products remained low overall and was stable during the 2024 to 2025 period.
Monitoring youth trends remains a vital component of the FDA product review process. This process evaluates new tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to determine if they offer lower-risk options for adults who smoke while mitigating risks to youth.
The agency recently authorized four flavored e-cigarette products that require strict access restrictions. These measures include ID and age verification, smartphone pairing, and repeated biometric checks to ensure users are at least 21 years old.
The NYTS is an annual school-based survey conducted since 1999, gathering data from students in grades 6 through 12. The FDA is currently collecting data for the 2026 survey and has requested public comments regarding data collection for 2027 through 2029.
