The number of teenagers using vapes in the U.S is at its lowest level in a decade.
Half a million fewer school-aged children vaped this year than last, according to the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
The report shows that 1.63 million school-aged children say they used a vape at least once in the previous 30 days, down from 2.13 million a year ago. Teen vape use has plummeted in the U.S since 2019 when more than five million youngsters reported they vaped.
The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has attributed the drop in youth vaping to “comprehensive tobacco control strategies” in addition to regulatory enforcement.
Figures go against FDA stance on flavoured vapes
However, vape advocates say the fall has happened while there was significant growth in the availability of flavoured vape products not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Therefore, they argue, the new figures go against the argument by the FDA that flavoured vapes - which research shows are important to adult smokers wanting to quit - have been driving youth vaping.
The number of different types of vapes sold in the U.S. nearly tripled to over 9,000 between 2020 and last year, driven almost entirely by a wave of unauthorised disposable vapes from China, according to The Associated Press.
The surge stands in stark contrast to regulators’ own figures, which touted the rejection of some 99 per cent of company requests to sell new vapes while authorising only a few meant for adult smokers.
According to the latest school-based survey, conducted between January 22 and May 22, 2024, most children using vapes are in high school. It shows that 7.8 per cent of high school students (aged 14 to 18) and 3.5 per cent of middle school students (aged 11 to 13) said they had used vapes at least once over the previous 30 days.
No significant rise in nicotine pouch use
The survey shows that marginally more teens have turned to nicotine pouches in recent years, which are sold under brands such as Zyn and Rogue.
It found that 1.8 per cent of school-age children said they had used nicotine pouches in the past 30 days, up from 1.5 per cent who reported using them last year, an increase researchers said was not "statistically significant."
The CDC and FDA release the National Youth Tobacco Survey annually to report tobacco use among children, surveying nearly 30,000 students from roughly 280 schools across the U.S.
