Vaping Drops among High School Students, Rises among Middle Schoolers

The annual CDC survey of tobacco use by middle and high school students reported a drop in vaping from 14% to 10% among high schoolers.

Their younger counterparts, however, are vaping more. The CDC noted an increase from 3.3% to 4.6% among middle school students. 

Of students who reported ever vaping, 46.7% currently use e-cigarettes.

Other tobacco use remained low in both cohorts collectively: 1.6% smoked cigarettes, 1.6% smoked cigars, 1.5% used nicotine pouches, 1.2% used smokeless tobacco, 1.2% used other oral nicotine products, 1.1% used hookahs, 1.1% used other heated tobacco products, and 1.0% smoked pipe tobacco. 

New York Times journalist Christina Jewett notes, “Public health experts also linked [California’s and] other state and local flavor bans and education campaigns to the falling high school vaping rate, which is the lowest in nearly a decade. And a few years ago, under public pressure, Juul, which had once been the most popular brand, withdrew most of its flavors from the market.”

Discussion Questions

1. Is vaping safe? Is it safe for teenagers? Explain your answers.

2. Should companies be able to market flavored vapes to teens? Why or why not?

3. Should the legal age to use tobacco products be raised? Lowered? Explain your answers.

Sources

Jan Birdsey, et al., “Tobacco Product Use among U.S. Middle and High School Students — National Youth Tobacco Survey, 2023,” cdc.gov, Nov. 3, 2023

Christina Jewett, “Vaping Declines among High School Students, Survey Shows,” nytimes.com, Nov. 2, 2023