Report Suggests Youth E-Cigarette Use Is on the Rise
National Youth Tobacco Survey says about 5 million middle and high school students used a tobacco product in 2018.
Feb 13, 2019
WASHINGTON – According to the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), tobacco product usage among middle and high school students increased in 2018.
The report, “Vital Signs: Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students–United States, 2011-2018,” includes findings on current youth use of cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, hookah, pipe tobacco and bidi, as well as findings on use of multiple products and frequency of use.
The study found that in 2018, approximately 5 million middle and high school students used a tobacco product, with more than 3.6 million currently using e-cigarettes and about half (2.5 million) currently using cigarettes or cigars. For the fifth year in a row, e-cigarettes were cited as the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youth.
Per NYTS, from 2017 to 2018 the use of any tobacco product increased from 19.6% to 27.1% among high school students, from 5.6% to 7.2% among middle school students. Current e-cigarette use increased from 11.7% to 20.8% among high school students, and from 3.3% to 4.9% among middle school students.
The rates of youth tobacco use, particularly e-cigarette use, continue to be of concern to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Last year the FDA announced that it would impose sharp restrictions on the sale of most flavored pod-style e-cigarettes, effectively pulling them from most convenience stores and gas stations and requiring strict age-verification controls for online sales.
The convenience store industry spends more money, time and effort than any other industry on compliance with laws including checking IDs and verifying the age of customers. NACS encourages retailers to use procedures and training tools like those offered by We Card.
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