Statement on FDA’s 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey Results and Continued Decline of Youth Vaping Rate

Published on June 24, 2026

WASHINGTON – June 24, 2026 – VTA is pleased to see the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) promote the results of the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), which were originally released in March.

The findings prove what VTA has been saying for years: youth tobacco use, including vaping, is at historic lows and youth vaping is rapidly disappearing.

According to the results, the youth vaping rate is just 5.2%, representing an 11.9% decrease over the past year and a 74% decrease since President Trump’s landmark 2019 decision to raise the age to buy tobacco products – a policy that VTA was proud to champion. This enormous drop in youth vaping occurred while the presence of flavored vaping products continued to grow in the marketplace – real world evidence proving that the availability of flavored vapes has little to no relevance to youth usage.

Now that youth vaping has fallen below pre-regulation levels, it is time for the FDA to establish a predictable, transparent, and science-backed regulatory system that ensures American adults – the ones overwhelmingly using flavored vapes – have access to the products they have chosen to help them quit smoking deadly cigarettes.

VTA applauds the FDA for making it clear that vapes should not target youth and for focusing on eliminating vapes with video games, bluetooth, and phone apps, and those disguised to look like other products. Like raising the age to 21, common-sense policies that keep these products out of the hands of youth, while promoting adult access to the most effective smoking cessation tool available, are crucial for public health. The FDA must now align itself with President Trump’s commitment to save flavored vapes, save American flavored e-liquid manufacturers, and save small businesses selling flavored vapes across the country.

Statement attributable to Tony Abboud, Executive Director of the Vapor Technology Association.

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