35% of Middle and High School Students Have Vaped

Vaping now far outpaces smoking cigarettes as a teenage vice. Only 16 percent of middle and high school students have ever smoked cigarettes, according to the CDC, while more than twice as many—35 percent—have used e-cigarettes (vaping). In the past 30 days, only 4 percent smoked a cigarette while 20 percent vaped.

A large percentage of teens have vaped in the past 30 days in every demographic segment. Here are the stats among high school students by sex, race, and Hispanic origin...

Percentage of high school students who used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, 2019
Total: 27.5%
Females: 27.4%
Males: 27.6%
Blacks: 17.7%
Hispanics: 23.2%
Non-Hispanic Whites: 32.4%

For many, vaping begins in middle school, where 10.5 percent used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days. Only 2 percent of middle school students smoked a cigarette in the past 30 days.

Those who have ever used e-cigarettes report a variety of reasons for using them. The single biggest reason, reported by the 55 percent majority of users, is curiosity. Other reasons include a family member or friend using them (31 percent), the flavors (22 percent), doing tricks with them (21 percent), and believing they are less harmful than other forms of tobacco (16 percent).

Source: CDC, Tobacco Product Use and Associated Factors among Middle and High School Students—United States, 2019