Results from the Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey
On this page:
- 2024 Findings on Youth Tobacco Use
- Public Health Education
- Goals of NYTS
- Previous National Youth Tobacco Survey
2024 Findings on Youth Tobacco Use
In September 2024, FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data from the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) on e-cigarette and nicotine pouch use among U.S. youth: “Notes from the Field: E-cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students—United States, 2024.”
Findings showed that there was a significant drop in the number of U.S. middle and high school students who reported current (past 30 days) e-cigarette use – a decrease from 2.13 million (7.7%) youth in 2023 to 1.63 million (5.9%) youth in 2024. Youth nicotine pouch use did not show a statistically significant change from 2023 (1.5% in 2023 and 1.8% in 2024).
2024 Findings on Youth Use for E-Cigarette Products
Current Use
- 5.9% of middle and high school students (1.63 million) reported current use of e-cigarettes
- 7.8% (1.21 million) high school students and 3.5% (410,000) middle school students reported current use of e-cigarettes
Frequency of Use
- More than 1 in 4 (26.3%) of current youth e-cigarette users use an e-cigarette product daily
- More than 1 in 3 (38.4%) youth e-cigarette users report using e-cigarettes at least 20 of the last 30 days
Flavored E-Cigarette Use
- More than 8 out of 10 current e-cigarette users (87.6%) used flavored e-cigarettes, with fruit flavors being the most popular, followed by candy, desserts, or other sweets; mint; and menthol
- Over half (54.6%) of students currently using e-cigarettes reported using flavors with “ice” or “iced” in the name
Type of Device
- The most commonly used device among current e-cigarette users was disposables (55.6%), followed by prefilled/refillable pods or cartridges (15.6%)
Commonly Used Brands
- The most commonly reported brands reported among current e-cigarette users were: Elf Bar (36.1%), Breeze (19.9%), Mr. Fog (15.8%), Vuse (13.7%) and JUUL (12.6%)
2024 Findings on Youth Use for Nicotine Pouch Products
Current Use
- 1.8% of students (480,000) reported current use of nicotine pouches
Frequency of Use
- More than 2 in 10 (22.4%) youth nicotine pouch users report using nicotine pouches daily
- More than 1 in 4 (29.3%) youth nicotine pouch users report using nicotine pouches at least 20 of the last 30 day
Flavored Nicotine Pouch Use
- More than 8 out of 10 current nicotine pouch users (85.6%) used flavored nicotine pouches, with mint flavors being the most popular, followed by fruit
Commonly Used Brands
- The most commonly reported brands reported among current nicotine pouch users were: Zyn (68.7%), on! (14.2%), Rogue (13.6%), Velo (10.7%) and Juice Head ZTN (9.8%)
Public Education Campaigns
FDA conducts several public education campaigns aimed at young audiences to prevent youth from tobacco initiation and use. FDA’s longest-running campaign, “The Real Cost,” educates teens on the health consequences of smoking cigarettes and in recent years has prioritized e-cigarette prevention messaging.
In the 2021 NYTS, 75.2% of middle and high school students reported having seen or heard any anti-tobacco public education campaign ad within the past year. An estimated 15.8 million (60.9%) students reported recognizing the FDA’s “The Real Cost” campaign ad: by school level, almost two-thirds (65.8%) of high school students and more than half (54.8%) of middle school students reported recognizing “The Real Cost” campaign ad.
However, public health education campaigns are not the only messaging about tobacco products that youth receive and notice.
They might see advertisements for tobacco products while engaging in common activities – such as going to a convenience store, supermarket, or gas station; using the Internet; watching television or streaming services or going to the movies; or reading newspapers or magazines. In the 2021 NYTS, among youth who reported engaging in those common activities, 75.7% reported exposure to marketing or advertising for any tobacco product.
Among students who reported using social media, 73.5% had ever seen e-cigarette–related content.
Goals of NYTS
FDA is committed to a science-based approach that addresses public health issues associated with tobacco use. We collaborate with CDC on this nationally representative survey of middle and high school students that focuses exclusively on tobacco use behaviors and associated factors.
NYTS was designed to provide national data on long-term, intermediate, and short-term indicators key to the design, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive tobacco prevention and control programs.
For a deeper look at the agencies’ collaboration on the study over the years, see CDC’s “Historical NYTS Data and Documentation.”