Nicotine Pouch Use Among U.S. High School Students Rises to 5.4%, Driven by Flavored Marketing and Social Media

Key points:

1.The usage rate of nicotine pouches among high school students in the United States increased from 3% in 2023 to 5.4% in 2024.

2.The tendency for teenagers to use such products is highly correlated with their diverse tastes, ease of concealment, and promotion on social media platforms.

3.Compared to e-cigarettes, the use of nicotine pouches is more concentrated among males, white individuals, and rural adolescents.

4.Researchers point out that although this product is not an FDA-approved smoking cessation tool, it is rapidly spreading among teenagers due to its low sensory burden.

5.Scholars recommend enhancing supervision, limiting the variety of flavors, increasing public awareness to prevent the risks of addiction and cognitive damage from spreading.

According to a report by Infobae on May 7th, a study published in JAMA Network Open shows that the rate of American high school students using nicotine pouches significantly increased over the past year, jumping from 3% in 2023 to 5.4% in 2024.

This study is based on the "Monitoring the Future" survey funded by the U.S. federal government, with a sample size of 10,146 students in grades 10 to 12. The data shows that adolescents are twice as likely to report using nicotine pouches in the past 30 days or past year. Despite a slight decrease in adolescent e-cigarette use in 2024, dropping from 20% to 18%, nicotine pouches are showing a reverse upward trend. There is also a phenomenon of "dual use" of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, with 3.6% of students in 2024 reporting simultaneous use of both products, much higher than the 2.1% in 2023.

The study also found that nicotine pouches are more popular among male, white, and rural youth, with this demographic profile closely overlapping with that of traditional smokeless tobacco users (such as chewing tobacco). Researchers believe that these demographic differences suggest that policy interventions should adopt a logic of differentiated product management.

A study has found that nicotine pouches are rapidly spreading among young people through the promotion tactics of "Zynfluencers" on social media, often associating them with concepts like "confidence," "masculinity," or "enhanced focus." ZYN was authorized by the FDA in January 2025 to sell specific flavored products to adults aged 21 and over, but these products have not been FDA-certified as smoking cessation aids.

Researchers suggest that there is a need to enhance awareness of the risks associated with such products among educational systems, parents, and pediatricians. Additionally, stricter regulations should be implemented through policies to manage these products, especially to restrict the packaging strategies that appeal to teenagers' taste buds, such as "cinnamon" and "tropical fruit" which are widely available in the current market.