Federal data shows 13.4% of US middle and high school students had ever used e-cigarettes and 4.1% had ever used nicotine pouches in 2025. The findings arrive as New York enforces a 75% tax on pouches and public health experts debate whether the products aid smoking cessation or threaten youth.
Public health reporting released by Public Health Alerts paints a stark picture of adolescent tobacco and nicotine habits. The initiative, run in collaboration between NEJM Evidence and CIDRAP, analyzed responses from the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey. Researchers examined data gathered from 23,630 students between January 6 and April 4, 2025, recording an average student response rate of 82.6%. The survey estimates that 3.7 million US youth in grades 6 through 12 had experimented with e-cigarettes, while current use reached 5.2% overall, or roughly 1.4 million adolescents nationwide.
Flavor Preferences and Brand Dominance in the National Youth Tobacco Survey
Flavors continue to drive youth consumption across both product categories. Among students reporting current e-cigarette use, 89.4% favored non-tobacco options. Fruit flavors led the category at 62.1%, followed by candy, desserts, or other sweets at 32.8%, mint at 29.7%, and menthol at 15.5%. Disposable devices dominated the market, with 66.3% of current users choosing them, and 27.5% reporting daily use. Geek Bar emerged as the most popular brand over the preceding 30 days, cited by 64.1% of users. Researchers noted that Geek Bar incorporates an animated digital screen during use, a feature that may heighten its appeal.
Nicotine pouches followed a similar flavor trajectory. An estimated 4.1% of youth reported lifetime pouch use, climbing to 5.7% among high schoolers. Current pouch use stood at 1.7% overall and 2.3% in high school. Among young pouch users, 90.8% selected non-tobacco options, led by mint at 60.9%, fruit at 25.0%, and menthol at 18.1%. Consistent with findings from 2024,
the report’s authors wrote, flavored e-cigarette use (especially fruit) and nicotine pouch use (especially mint) remain predominant among students who currently use the products.
Surging Adult Consumption and the Debate Over Risk Reduction
While youth data captures adolescent experimentation, adult numbers show an even sharper ascent. Nationwide consumption among young adults ages 19 to 30 surged from 4.8% in 2023 to 12.7% in 2025, according to University of Michigan Monitoring the Future surveys covering the previous 12 months. Twelfth-grade use similarly jumped from 2.9% to 6.9%, while usage rates among older adults more than doubled.
That rapid growth has divided public health specialists. Michelle Bover Manderski, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Rutgers University and a researcher at its Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies, notes that pouches likely carry fewer dangers than combustible cigarettes due to the absence of smoke. Conversely, critics argue that manufacturers promote the products without adequate long-term safety data.
Dr. Rachel Boykan and Medical Experts Voice Addiction Concerns
Medical professionals emphasize that adolescent and young adult brains remain under development until roughly age 25. Dr. Rachel Boykan, a clinical professor of pediatrics at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, warns that nicotine impairs concentration and learning while showing links to anxiety and depression.
I’m worried about nicotine and the developing brain. I’m worried about addiction. I’m worried about all the potential for long-term consequences that we have yet to discover.
Dr. Rachel Boykan, clinical professor of pediatrics at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University
Boykan maintains that smokers seeking cessation should utilize FDA-approved treatments rather than turning to nicotine pouches.
New York Tax Enforcement and Online Retail Shifts
State and federal policies continue to shift around the market. The Food and Drug Administration warned that pouches can deliver harmful chemicals, yet in June authorized Philip Morris to market 20 Zyn products under claims of carrying a lower risk of certain diseases, including mouth and lung cancer, than cigarettes—a decision drawing sharp rebuke from major public health organizations.
At the state level, New York imposed a 75% tax on nicotine pouches on September 1, backed by prominent public health coalitions. Retailers report immediate fallout. Gurvinder Singh, owner of Highr in East Northport, increased pouch prices from roughly $8 to $13 without passing on the entire tax burden, noting that sales subsequently plummeted. Right now, nobody’s buying,
Singh said. Store owners observe that consumers increasingly purchase products online where prices run lower; platforms like nicokick.com listed Zyn at $8.23 per 15-pouch can for Long Island ZIP codes, dropping to $6.60 per can when purchasing 50.