Tobacco use among high schoolers is going down, but increasing for middle schoolers, CDC says

E-cigarettes, commonly known as vapes, have been the most-used tobacco product by both middle and high school students for the past 10 years. But a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that high schoolers are vaping less: The decline in e-cig use by high schoolers dropped from 14% to 10% between 2022 and 2023, the report found.

The rate of e-cig use among middle schoolers did not significantly change during the same time period.

The study analyzed data from the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey that showed vaping the most popular option for school-age kids.

Although the number of high schoolers who are currently using tobacco decreased, the rate of middle schoolers who used at least one tobacco product increased from 4.5% to 6.6% in the past year.

Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health said, “The decline in e-cigarette use among high school students shows great progress, but our work is far from over.” Kittner continued, "Findings from this report underscore the threat that commercial tobacco product use poses to the health of our nation’s youth."

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Which tobacco products are kids using? 

Among middle and high schoolers, 2.8 million students currently use tobacco products, or one in 10 young people.

The most popular tobacco product for underage users was e-cigs, with 2.13 million students reporting using vapes in 2023. Among teen vapers, 89% said they used flavored vapes and more than half used disposable e-cigarettes. 

Disposable products were the most commonly used e-cigarette device type among youth.

The most popular brands of disposable and cartridge's products were:

• Elf Bars (56.7% users)
• Esco Bars (21.6%)
• Vuse (20.7%)
• JUUL (16.5%)
• Mr. Fog (13.6%) 

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Findings show demographic differences in whose using

A look at notable demographics:

• Multiracial non-Hispanic students had the highest percentage of any current tobacco product use at 12.6% in 2023. Those students also had the highest vaping rate at 10.2%, among all racial and ethnic groups.
• At 4.7%, Black students were more likely than other racial or ethnic groups to use combustible tobacco products such as cigars and hookahs.

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Exposure to nicotine is dangerous to youth brain development

The study reported that the use of middle and high school students who used multiple tobacco products was particularly concerning because of its association with nicotine dependence, which increases the likelihood of long-term tobacco use into adulthood.

The study also cited the importance of restricting sales to underage users, increasing prices, banning flavored products and prohibiting indoor use of tobacco products.

Ken Alltucker contributed to this reporting.