PRESS RELEASE: Regulate Smarter Hails Historic Lows Of Youth Tobacco Use

FDA’s 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey Finds Continued Declines in E-Cigarette and Overall Tobacco Use, Underscoring Progress in Reducing Underage Tobacco Use

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine (Regulate Smarter) today welcomed the latest findings shared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) confirming that youth tobacco use has reached historic lows.

Notable findings from the 2025 NYTS include:

• A more than 4% decline of youth tobacco use: down from 11.3% in 2022 to 7.2% in 2025;

• A more than 4% decline in youth e-cigarette use: down from 9.4% in 2022 to 5.2% in 2025;

• Historic lows of youth cigarette use: 1.4% of youth reported smoking cigarettes;

• The most commonly used device among current e-cigarette users was reportedly disposables with 66.3% of underage users choosing such product.

“While there is always more to do, the NYTS data underscore the success of ongoing efforts to protect youth and the need to continue aggressive enforcement actions to crack down on illicit nicotine products, particularly those illegally imported from China and targeting underage users,” said Richard Burr, Chairman of the Coalition for the Smarter Regulation of Nicotine and former U.S. Senator. “Youth vaping and smoking rates have plummeted in just a few years, proving that a combination of enforcement and innovation in lower-risk products is working. But we can’t declare victory while an illicit market—that represents the largest category of most commonly used products among youth and is largely fueled by unauthorized products from overseas—undermines these gains. It’s time for the FDA to fully embrace the harm reduction vision of the Tobacco Control Act by streamlining authorizations, cracking down aggressively on bad actors, and educating adults on switching from combustible cigarettes.”

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