WASHINGTON — Youth tobacco use in the United States has plummeted to its lowest levels in decades, driven by a sustained decline in e-cigarette use and overall combustible tobacco products among middle and high school students.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published these findings in a peer-reviewed article in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research, analyzing the comprehensive dataset from the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS). The longitudinal data show a definitive downward trend in overall tobacco consumption from 2022 through 2025.
According to the report, approximately 2 million U.S. students—amounting to 7.2% of the middle and high school population—reported using a tobacco or nicotine product within the past 30 days. This represents a measurable drop from the 8.1% of students reported in 2024.
Key Findings by the Numbers
The 2025 survey highlighted specific usage breakdowns across the most common product categories:
- E-Cigarettes: Remain the most commonly used product at 5.2%, but continue a multi-year decline from a peak in 2019.
- Nicotine Pouches: Stood at 1.7%. While pouch use increased slightly among high schoolers between 2022 and 2025, overall numbers remained low and statistically stable between 2024 and 2025.
- Cigarettes: Settled at an unprecedented low of 1.4%.
- Multiple Products: 2.7% of students reported regular use of more than one tobacco or nicotine delivery system.
Strict Enforcement and Biometric “Game Changers”
The FDA credits the downward trend to its multi-pronged regulatory and enforcement strategy. The agency has ramped up retail crackdowns, recently issuing a wave of severe warning letters to retailers distributing unauthorized illicit products designed to mimic everyday items like candy, breath strips, and cough drops. The agency also continues to fund targeted youth public health initiatives, such as its long-running “The Real Cost” prevention campaign.
Crucially, the FDA notes that tracking youth data directly informs its premarket review process for authorizing new commercial alternatives for adult smokers. In a historic shift this past May, the FDA utilized youth-mitigation data to authorize the first-ever non-tobacco, fruit-flavored e-cigarette pods (such as blueberry and mango flavors from manufacturer Glas).
To legally enter the market, the manufacturer had to prove that its device utilizes high-tech access restrictions to effectively block youth experimentation. The authorized devices require consumers to upload a government-issued ID, pair the device to a smartphone via Bluetooth, and pass random biometric facial or fingerprint checks on the app. If the device is separated from the smartphone, it automatically locks and will not vaporize nicotine.
The National Youth Tobacco Survey has served as a school-based, nationally representative metric since 1999. The FDA is currently leading the collection of the 2026 NYTS data and has opened a public comment window to finalize parameters for the 2027–2029 survey cycles.
You can watch this CBS News Texas Broadcast on the FDA Fruit-Flavored Vape Authorization to see how the agency’s new biometric smartphone-pairing rules are being applied to keep these products out of the hands of teenagers while allowing options for adult smokers.
