Youth vaping rates appear to be dropping, but regulators and advocates aren’t satisfied

WASHINGTON — A new survey from the CDC and the FDA suggests that youth vaping rates appear to be dropping, compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Just over 9% of middle and high schoolers surveyed earlier this year reported currently using e-cigarettes, according to data published Thursday afternoon. Scientists caution against comparing the last few years too directly, given the disruptive effects of the coronavirus pandemic, but in 2019, 20% of middle and high school students reported current youth vaping. In 2020, that number was 13.1%.

“From a public health perspective, this is very good news,” said Jasjit Singh Ahluwalia, a professor at Brown University and tobacco expert, who added he is still concerned about the rates of youth vaping.

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