The landscape of teen vaping has shifted dramatically in 2024, with the percentage of teenagers reporting e-cigarette usage experiencing a notable decrease from alarming levels recorded just five years ago. This trend has sparked optimism among public health officials who are hopeful for a sustained reversal in vaping habits among adolescents.
According to the latest findings from an annual survey conducted between January and May in schools nationwide, fewer than 8 percent of high school students indicated that they had used e-cigarettes in the past month. This figure is a stark contrast to the peak observed in 2019, when over 27 percent of high school respondents reported vaping. Remarkably, this year’s data reflects a decline of approximately 500,000 fewer adolescents engaging in vaping compared to last year.
The data comes from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, a comprehensive questionnaire completed by thousands of middle and high school students, administered annually by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The survey also revealed that just under 6 percent of both middle and high school students reported vaping within the last month, a decrease from nearly 8 percent in the previous year. The significant drop in e-cigarette use among high school students was largely responsible for this year’s overall decline, while the rate of use among middle school students remained relatively stable.
Brian King, the director of the FDA’s tobacco division, emphasized the importance of these findings, stating, “I want to be unequivocally clear that this continued decline in e-cigarette use among our nation’s youth is a monumental public health win.”
Public health experts attribute the reduction in teenage vaping to a combination of factors, which may include:
- Implementation of city and state bans on flavored tobacco products.
- A comprehensive enforcement initiative targeting sellers of flavored vapes.
- Three targeted public messaging campaigns aimed at educating young people about the health risks associated with vaping.
This multifaceted approach appears to be making a significant impact, hopefully leading to a healthier future for the younger generation.
