2024 Monitoring the Future Survey Shows Persistent Nicotine Dependence Despite Meaningful Gains in Reducing Youth E-Cigarette Use

Statement from Kathy Crosby, CEO and President, Truth Initiative

The 2024 Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF) shows promising signs in the effort to reduce youth e-cigarette use, as the number of high school students using these harmful, addictive products remains far lower than before the pandemic. Despite this progress, the persistently high number of young people who frequently vape nicotine, and an uptick in the use of nicotine pouches among high schoolers, remains a critical area of concern – and a serious public health threat. 

According to the survey, e-cigarette use remained relatively stable over the past year for eighth and 12th graders and declined for 10th graders. However, despite a decline in frequent use, the data revealed troublingly high rates of past 30-day and daily use among all grade levels – a clear sign of nicotine addiction. Coupled with data that show use of nicotine pouches nearly doubling among high schoolers, the findings underscore the need for better quitting resources, such as Truth Initiative’s EX^® Program.

EX Program is an evidence-based, comprehensive platform designed to help young people overcome nicotine addiction through personalized, accessible support. Since its launch in 2008, EX Program has helped millions of people develop the skills and confidence to quit through free, science-backed resources, including personalized quit plans, interactive text messages, 24/7 access to the most established online quit community, and engaging digital tools that meet users wherever they are – on their phones, online, and on social media. A recent first-of-its-kind study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that EX Program can increase a user’s odds of quitting by up to 40%. 

Digging deeper into the MTF data, 9.6% of eighth graders and 21.0% of 12th graders reported vaping nicotine in the past year, a slight decline from 11.4% and 23.2% in 2023. However, e-cigarette use declined significantly among 10th graders to 15.4%, down from 17.6%. Overall, the data represents a historical decline from pre-pandemic youth e-cigarette use (between 2017 and 2019) when levels surged. 

The data also revealed a decline in youth e-cigarette use over the past 30 days. However, it still showed troubling rates among older students: 15.0% of 12th graders, 9.8% of 10th graders, and 5.7% of eighth graders reported vaping nicotine in the past 30 days. Meanwhile, daily use among 12th graders declined from 5.8% to 5.2% and 1.4% to 0.8% among eighth graders but rose from 2.4% to 2.7% for 10th graders. 

The findings align with those from the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), which highlighted progress in reducing youth e-cigarette use but also showed a troubling trends of more frequent use. However, the MTF data showed that the use of nicotine pouches nearly doubled among high schoolers over the past year, with 3.4% of 10th graders and 5.9% of 12th graders saying they used the product, up from 1.9% and 2.9%, respectively. 

The data from both surveys are particularly concerning given that nicotine is harmful to developing brains, and dependence has been shown to negatively impact mental health by amplifying feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress. There is no safe level of use for young people, and the vast majority of these products do not have FDA authorization, making their presence on the market illegal. Truth Initiative research shows that between 2017 and 2022, disposable e-cigarettes nearly tripled in nicotine strength, quintupled in e-liquid capacity, and dropped in price by nearly 70% – all at the expense of young people’s physical and mental health.

The MTF survey also found an increase in the perception of harm from vaping nicotine among eighth graders, while perceptions remained unchanged for 10th and 12th graders, as well as for overall disapproval of e-cigarette use. In addition, 10th and 12th graders reported that vaping devices and liquids, along with cigarettes, were less easy to obtain compared to last year – a positive trend. 

While the drop in youth e-cigarette use is an encouraging public health win, we cannot ignore the persistent nicotine dependence among youth nor the uptick in nicotine pouch usage. We must continue supporting evidence-based programs to help young people quit, while holding the tobacco industry accountable for relentlessly pursuing a new generation. We also urge retailers to stop selling illegal, youth-appealing flavored nicotine products that continue to flood the market. Our work is far from over, but together, we can work toward a future free from nicotine addiction.

For more information on how to join the effort to combat youth and young adult nicotine addiction, visit truthinitiative.org.