Good news on teen vaping? Rates are down, but there’s another product that worries tobacco regulators

Half a million fewer schoolchildren have used e-cigarettes this year than last year, a win for public health officials who have warned for years about the health risks posed by these nicotine-delivering devices.

The 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that 1.63 million schoolchildren reported using e-cigarettes at least once in the past 30 days, up from 2.13 million a year earlier. Youth use has declined since reports hit an all-time high in 2019, when more than 5 million schoolchildren reported vaping, prompting the Food and Drug Administration to crack down on the devices.

According to the school-based survey conducted between Jan. 22 and May 22 this year, 7.8 percent of high school students and 3.5 percent of middle school students said they had used an e-cigarette at least once in the past 30 days.

The survey found that in recent years, more young people have turned to nicotine pouches, sold under brands such as Zyn and Rogue. The survey found that 1.8% of school-aged children had used nicotine pouches in the past 30 days, up from the 1.5% who reported using them in the past year. Nearly half a million school-aged children have used nicotine pouches in the past 30 days, more than double the 200,000 youth pouch users in 2021. Among nicotine pouch users, Zyn was the most popular brand behind on!, Rogue, Velo and Juice Head ZTN. More than 85% of pouch users said they used flavored products.

The biggest takeaway for health experts is that fewer teens are vaping.

Brian King, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products, called the decline in e-cigarette use among youth “a tremendous victory” in a statement.

“But we should not rest on our laurels because we still have much work to do to further reduce e-cigarette use among youth,” King said.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra praised the youth e-cigarette use rate as reaching its lowest level in a decade.

“It’s a hopeful sign that Americans are becoming more aware of the risks of these products among young people and the marketing methods some use to target our children,” Becerra said.

Illegal vaporizers and nicotine pouches require investigation: Auditor

While anti-tobacco watchdogs applaud the decline in youth vaping, they remain concerned about kids who use the devices frequently. Among teens who vape, 42% of high school users and 27% of middle school users said they vape frequently or daily. These teens may be consuming nicotine-filled products. to work Nicotine levels in disposable e-cigarettes have reportedly nearly tripled from 2017 to 2022.

Despite fewer school-age users, vaping among youth in the U.S. “remains a serious public health problem,” in part because “the vaping industry insists on finding new ways to get kids addicted,” says Yolonda C. Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

“We cannot afford to let our guard down, considering that more than 1.6 million kids are still vaping and 42% of high school users report frequent or daily use, a strong indicator that they are addicted to the high-nicotine products on the market,” Richardson said in a statement.

Richardson called on the FDA and other federal agencies to step up enforcement to clean up vaping devices that remain on the market without authorization. The FDA has authorized the marketing of fewer than three dozen e-cigarette products, but thousands of unauthorized products remain on the market, Richardson said.

He said nicotine pouches may attract younger users because they contain mint and fruit flavors that appeal to children and are heavily promoted on social media. He called on the FDA to closely monitor these products and take steps to prevent minors from using them.

This article was originally published on USA TODAY: As youth e-cigarette use rates decline, more people are turning to this product