E-Cigarette Use Among Youth

What to know

E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youth. No tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, are safe, especially for children, teens, and young adults. Learn more about e-cigarette use among youth.

Overview

  • In the United States, youth use e-cigarettes, or vapes, more than any other tobacco product.1
  • No tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, are safe, especially for children, teens, and young adults.2
  • Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive. Nicotine can harm the parts of an adolescent's brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control.2
  • E-cigarette marketing, the availability of flavored products, social influences, and the effects of nicotine can influence youth to start or continue vaping.34
  • Most middle and high school students who vape want to quit.5
  • Many people have an important role in protecting youth from vaping including parents and caregivers, educators and school administrators, health care providers, and community partners.
  • States and local communities can implement evidence-based policies, programs, and services to reduce youth vaping.

E-cigarette use among U.S. youth

In 2023, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school students in the United States. In 2023:6

  • 2.1 million (7.7%) students currently used e-cigarettes. This includes:
    • 550,000 (4.6%) middle school students.
    • 1.56 million (10.0%) high school students.
  • Among students who had ever used e-cigarettes, 46.7% reported current e-cigarette use.
  • Among students who currently used e-cigarettes:
    • 1 in 4 (25.2%) used an e-cigarette every day.
    • 1 in 3 (34.7%) used an e-cigarette on at least 20 of the last 30 days.
    • 9 in 10 (89.4%) used flavored e-cigarettes.
  • Students who currently used e-cigarettes:
    • Most often used disposable e-cigarettes (60.7%) followed by e-cigarettes with prefilled or refillable pods or cartridges (16.1%).
    • Most commonly reported using the following brands: Elf Bar, Esco Bars, Vuse, JUUL, and Mr. Fog.

Most middle and high school students who vape want to quit and have tried to quit.5 In 2020:

  • 63.9% of students who currently used e-cigarettes reported wanting to quit.
  • 67.4% of students who currently used e-cigarettes reported trying to quit in the last year.

Most tobacco use, including vaping, starts and is established during adolescence. There are many factors associated with youth tobacco product use. These include:

  • Tobacco advertising that targets youth.
  • Product accessibility.
  • Availability of flavored products.
  • Social influences.
  • Adolescent brain sensitivity to nicotine.

Some groups of middle and high school students use e-cigarettes at a higher percentage than others. For example, in 2023: 6

  • More females than males reported current e-cigarette use.
  • Current use of e-cigarettes varied by race and ethnicity.
    • Non-Hispanic multiracial students: 20.8%.
    • Non-Hispanic White students: 18.4%.
    • Hispanic or Latino students: 18.2%.
    • Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native students: 15.4%.
    • Non-Hispanic Black or African American students: 12.9%.

Many young people who vape also use other tobacco products, including cigarettes and cigars.7 This is called dual use. In 2020:8

  • About one in three high school students (36.8%) who vaped also used other tobacco products.
  • One in two middle school students (49.0%) who vaped also used other tobacco products.

E-cigarettes can also be used to deliver other substances, including cannabis. In 2016, nearly one in three (30.6%) of U.S. middle and high school students who had ever used an e-cigarette reported using marijuana in the device.9

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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; Office on Smoking and Health
  1. Park-Lee E, Ren C, Cooper M, Cornelius M, Jamal A, Cullen KA. Tobacco product use among middle and high school students—United States, 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71:1429–1435.
  2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. E-cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2016. Accessed Feb 14, 2024.
  3. Apelberg BJ, Corey CG, Hoffman AC, et al. Symptoms of tobacco dependence among middle and high school tobacco users: results from the 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey. Am J Prev Med. 2014;47(Suppl 1):S4–14.
  4. Gentzke AS, Wang TW, Cornelius M, et al. Tobacco product use and associated factors among middle and high school students—National Youth Tobacco Survey, United States, 2021. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2022;71(No. SS-5):1–29.
  5. Zhang L, Gentzke A, Trivers KF, VanFrank B. Tobacco cessation behaviors among U.S. middle and high school students, 2020. J Adolesc Health. 2022;70(1):147–154.
  6. Birdsey J, Cornelius M, Jamal A, et al. Tobacco product use among U.S. middle and high school students—National Youth Tobacco Survey, 2023. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2023;72:1173–1182.
  7. Wang TW, Gentzke AS, Creamer MR, et al. Tobacco product use and associated factors among middle and high school students—United States, 2019. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2019;68(No. SS-12):1–22.
  8. Wang TW, Gentzke AS, Neff LJ, et al. Characteristics of e-cigarette use behaviors among US youth, 2020. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(6):e2111336.
  9. Trivers KF, Phillips E, Gentzke AS, Tynan MA, Neff LJ. Prevalence of cannabis use in electronic cigarettes among U.S. youth. JAMA Pediatr. 2018;172(11):1097–1099.