Overview
- Federal data released June 24, 2026, from the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey show overall youth tobacco use has declined to multi-year lows while about 5.2 percent of students, or roughly 1.44 million young people, report current e-cigarette use.
- The survey shows deepening use among remaining vapers, with 27.5 percent reporting daily use and 41.2 percent reporting use on at least 20 of the last 30 days, markers public-health groups link to stronger nicotine dependence.
- Nearly 90 percent of youth e-cigarette users report choosing flavored products, and nicotine pouches have emerged as a growing risk with about 1.7 percent of youth reporting current use and retail sales of pouches nearly quadrupling between January 2023 and December 2025.
- Regulatory tension has increased after the FDA authorized a set of flavored e-cigarette products for adults, prompting the American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Truth Initiative to call for stricter flavor limits, stepped-up enforcement against unauthorized products, and expanded youth cessation support.
- Health advocates say nicotine harms adolescent brain and heart development, point to rising early-morning vaping and failed quit attempts, and urge wider access to proven quit programs such as the EX Program while urging watchdogs to monitor marketing, product design, and enforcement actions closely.