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Nicotine Pouch Use Doubles Among U.S. High Schoolers

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on May 7, 2025.

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 7, 2025 -- The use of nicotine pouches nearly doubled among U.S. high school students between 2023 and 2024, a new study says.

These pouches, inserted between the gum and lip, provide teenagers an opportunity to use nicotine in a discreet, easily concealed way, researchers said.

About 5.4% of teens said they used nicotine pouches in 2024, compared with 3% in 2023, researchers reported in JAMA Network Open.

Teens were twice as likely to say they’d used nicotine pouches within the 30 days or the past year, results show.

The increase in nicotine pouch use occurred even as teen vaping declined from 20% in 2023 to less than 18% in 2024, results show.

“This growing public health issue needs more attention. Like flavored e-cigarettes when they first emerged, use of this new oral nicotine product is becoming more widespread, particularly among adolescents,” lead researcher Dae-Hee Han, a postdoctoral scholar in population and public health sciences at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, said in a news release.

Nicotine pouches like the brand name Zyn have surged in popularity on social media through a wave of young “Zynfluencers” who link pouch use to confidence, masculinity and mental sharpness, researchers said in background notes.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January authorized Zyn to market flavored nicotine pouches to adults 21 and older, with the rationale that they might be a less harmful alternative to cigarettes.

But unlike nicotine gum and patches, these nicotine pouches are not FDA-approved as official smoking cessation products, researchers said.

For the study, researchers analyzed responses from 10,146 10th- and 12th-graders participating in the federally funded "Monitoring the Future" study, which asks students each year about their substance use.

Results also found that dual use of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches has increased, up to 3.6% of teens in 2024 compared with 2.1% in 2023.

Teens who were male, white and rural were more likely to use nicotine pouches, researchers found. This trend mirrors that of traditional smokeless tobacco products like chewing tobacco.

“We’re finding that the risk profile differs quite a bit between nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes, which means we need prevention approaches that are targeted for each,” Han said.

The pouches increase a teen’s risk of long-term nicotine addiction, researchers said. Some teens also report problems like mouth sores and gum irritation from using the pouches.

Research also has suggested that exposure to nicotine during teenage years can harm brain development and cause problems with learning, memory and attention, the study says.

“Parents, teachers, and pediatricians should be aware that teen nicotine pouch use is increasing across the nation,” senior researcher Adam Leventhal, executive director of the USC Institute for Addiction Science, said in a news release.

“To reverse this trend, we need to heighten public awareness about pouches and educate youth about them,” Leventhal added. “Policymakers might also consider ramping up regulation of the booming pouch market — including cinnamon, fruit and other attractive flavors — to protect youth.”

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted May 2025

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