Tobacco Use Rising in Middle School Students

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — A recent study by the Food and Drug Administration shows that while tobacco use is dropping in high school students nationwide, use in middle school students is rising.

The FDA says typical paper cigarettes are not to blame for this. For the tenth year in a row, electronic cigarettes are the most popular tobacco product used by teens and those under the age of 13.

The National Youth Tobacco Survey shows that tobacco use dropped in high schoolers by about 4% in the last year.

Use in middle schoolers has risen by about 2%.

“We peaked in 2019 with well over five million kids who were using e-cigarettes,” said Director of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products Brian King. “Fortunately, we’re down to just over two million this year. But it’s still too many kids.”

The FDA says e-cigarette use is popular among younger people for many reasons such as advertising, promotion, and social media use.

They are also popular because of their flavoring and, of course, the addictive chemical, nicotine.