Nicotine Pouch Use Nearly Doubles Among U.S. High School Students

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by News-Medical.

The use of nicotine pouches – small, easily concealed sachets of nicotine and additives that are placed between the gum and lip – nearly doubled among U.S. high school students between 2023 and 2024, according to a new USC study.

The research, involving surveys of more than 10,000 teens from around the country, appears in JAMA Network Open.

The findings come at a time of growing national concern over nicotine pouches like Zyn, which have surged in popularity on social media through a wave of young “Zynfluencers,” who often link pouch use to confidence, masculinity and mental sharpness. Organizations such as the American Heart Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids have called for regulation of nicotine pouches, citing concerns about use among teens.

Funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, Han and his colleagues analyzed surveys from 10,146 10^th and 12^th graders around the country who participate in Monitoring the Future, an annual survey launched in 1975 that asks students about their substance use. In 2024, 5.4% of teens said they had used nicotine pouches, compared to 3.0% in 2023. More teens also reported using nicotine pouches in the past 30 days and past 12 months, as well as using both pouches and e-cigarettes in 2024, compared to 2023.

Over the same time period, the share of teens vaping decreased. In 2023, 20% of teens surveyed had used e-cigarettes in the past 12 months, compared to 17.6% in 2024. But dual use of both e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches increased: 3.6% of teens had used both products in the past 12 months in 2024, compared to 2.1% in 2023. Compared to the previous year, more teens also reported in 2024 that they had used both products in their lifetime.

“Parents, teachers, and pediatricians should be aware that teen nicotine pouch use is increasing across the nation,” said the study’s senior author, Adam Leventhal, PhD, a University Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine and executive director of the USC Institute for Addiction Science. “To reverse this trend, we need to heighten public awareness about pouches and educate youth about them. Policymakers might also consider ramping up regulation of the booming pouch market-including cinnamon, fruit and other attractive flavors-to protect youth.”

Source: News-Medical
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250430/Study-Nicotine-pouch-use-nearly-doubles-among-US-high-school-students.aspx