Tobacco use among U.S. high school students has dropped to it’s lowest level in 25 years according to a new report by the CDC.
Adolescence is a particularly vulnerable time for youth to develop nicotine addictions and around 9 of 10 current adult smokers started before they were 18. The FDA says that around 1,500 children under the age of 18 smoke their first cigarette every day in the U.S.
The data in the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey shows at least half a million fewer students are using any kind of tobacco product than this time last year. The significant drop is mostly due to the decline in e-cigarette, or “vape” use. This year, 1.63 million youth reported using e-cigarettes, down from 2.13 million in 2023.
“Reaching a 25-year low for youth tobacco product use is an extraordinary milestone for public health,” said Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, PhD., MPH., Director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. “However, with more than 2 million youth using tobacco products and certain groups not experiencing declines in use, our mission is far from complete. We must remain committed to public health efforts to ensure all youth can live healthy, tobacco-free lives,” added Kittner.
Cigarette smoking rates also reached record lows with only 1.4% of students reporting smoking tobacco currently, whereas 5.9% of youth reported using e-cigarettes, remaining the most popular method among this age group of consuming tobacco. There were differences between population groups, however. Female students saw bigger declines in tobacco use than male students and the use of nicotine pouches increased among white students. The use of all types of tobacco products increased amongst American Indian or Alaska Native students.
The reasons for this overall decline in usage among use are likely to be varied, but the CDC speculate that evidence-based tobacco use prevention strategies including price increases, smoke free policies and social media campaigns targeted at students of high school age have all made a difference.
“We’re headed in the right direction when it comes to reducing tobacco product use among our nation’s youth,” said Brian King, PhD, MPH., Director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “But we can’t take our foot off the gas. Continued vigilance is needed to continue to reduce all forms of tobacco product use among youth. Addressing disparities remains an essential part of these efforts to ensure that we don’t leave anyone behind,” added King.
Smoking increases the risk of at least 12 types of cancer, and e-cigarette use has also been linked to several health conditions.
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