Smoking among teens in America has reached an all-time low this year. There has been a significant decline in overall youth tobacco use, a government report said yesterday. The data shows a 20 percent decline in the number of middle and high school students who have recently used at least one tobacco product, such as a cigarette, e-cigarette, nicotine pouch or hookah. The figures rose from 2.8 million last year to 2.25 million this year — the lowest since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began its flagship survey in 1999.

“Reaching a 25-year low for tobacco product use among youth is an extraordinary milestone for public health,” Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, director of CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, said in a statement. However, “our mission is not yet accomplished.”

A major factor behind this decline is the decline in vaping, which has contributed to the overall decline in youth tobacco use from 10 percent to 8 percent. E-cigarette use among teens fell to less than 6 percent this year, from 7.7 percent last year. This is the lowest rate seen in the last decade, as e-cigarettes remain the most commonly used tobacco product among teens, followed by nicotine pouches.

Besides vaping, other products are also falling. This year, that number has dropped to just 1.7 percent from 1.9 percent last year, the lowest percentage since the survey began 25 years ago. Although this one-year decline is not statistically significant, it shows a positive trend in reducing tobacco use among adolescents. Hookah use also declined from 1.1 percent to 0.7 percent.

The survey was conducted with nearly 30,000 students from 283 middle and high schools, with a response rate of about 33 percent. Officials attribute the decline in youth tobacco use to a variety of factors, including increased prices, public health education campaigns, age restrictions, and stronger enforcement against retailers and manufacturers selling tobacco products to minors.

Among high school students, use of any tobacco product dropped from about 13 percent to 10 percent and e-cigarette use dropped from 10 percent to less than 8 percent. But no changes were reported for middle school students, who generally use less vaping or smoking or other products.

The report found variation in tobacco use among different demographics. While tobacco use decreased among girls and Hispanic students, it increased among American Indian or Alaska Native students, and nicotine pouch use increased among white students.

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