Vapes and Nicotine Pouches: What the 2025 Youth Survey Says

First, the good news: youth tobacco use keeps falling. The 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), which asked more than 23,000 students in grades 6–12, found that 7.2% of middle and high schoolers used a tobacco product in the past month, down from 8.1% in 2024.

But 7.2% still means about 2 million kids. And the numbers hide some trends worth knowing.

What the survey found

Product	Students using in past 30 days (2025)
Any tobacco product	7.2% (about 2 million)
E-cigarettes (vapes)	5.2%
Nicotine pouches (Zyn and similar)	1.7%
Cigarettes	1.4%

• Vapes are still number one. Use has dropped sharply since 2022, but more than 4 in 10 teens who vape do it on at least 20 of the past 30 days. That's dependence, not experimenting.

• Pouches are the new one to watch. Nicotine pouch use among high schoolers rose from 2022 to 2025, though it held steady in the last year.

• Flavors drive it. Most young users choose flavored products.

Why nicotine matters for a harm-reduction group

Nicotine changes the developing brain and makes it easier to get hooked on other substances. Many teens also tell us they vape to handle stress or anxiety. That's the real problem to solve: if vaping is how someone copes, taking it away without replacing it rarely works.

Better ways to cope

Ideas our Future Fuel youth have shared: music with headphones on, a walk, texting a friend, drawing, a few slow breaths (in for 4, hold for 4, out for 6). Our free game Calm Quest lets young people practice these skills in real-life scenarios.

Ready to quit?

• Teens: text DITCHVAPE to 88709 for the free This is Quitting program from Truth Initiative.

• Florida residents: Tobacco Free Florida offers free quit help at tobaccofreeflorida.com.