Smoking rates up for Gen Z

RADIO IQ | By Sandy Hausman

Published July 14, 2026 at 3:28 PM EDT

After decades spent telling kids tobacco is dangerous, the number of young people smoking cigarettes is up.

After decades of campaigning against the use of tobacco, public health experts say the number of young people who smoke has been rising.

Melissa Little is Director of the Center for Nicotine and Tobacco Research at UVA, and she’s sounding the alarm.

"We thought we had, so to speak, kicked the habit, and yet we’re seeing an uptake again," she says.

While leaders in the field of public health were focused on vaping and the new threat it posed, more people between the ages of 14 and 29— members of Gen Z— were taking up cigarettes.

"Some of the federal agencies that monitor these – like the Office of Smoking and Health – is no longer at the CDC. So, we’re trying to play catch up, but 12^th grade nicotine use has increased from 17% to 21.8% between ’24 and ‘25," Professor Little explains.

She blames the tobacco industry, which has introduced a new nicotine delivery system— a small pouch that contains flavored, synthetic nicotine, tucked between the cheek and gum.

"They come in all sorts of delicious flavors, and they’re marketed as a healthy, harm-reduction approach. You can use them in an airplane. You can use them at work. You can use them in school. They kind of make you more alert, and it’s almost like a caffeine without addressing the fact that nicotine is one of the most addictive substances we know of."

Her research found some members of the military had actually taken up cigarettes as a way to wean themselves off the pouch.

She adds that tobacco companies seem to have willing allies who promote the product through social and traditional media.

"Influencer culture and entertainment are all organically driving this shift, and smoking is starting to appear as this glamorous, rebellious, socially desirable behavior. We know movies and music videos are featuring tobacco use quite frequently, and there’s even an Instagram account that show celebrities smoking, and there are over 83,000 people who follow that account, which just blows my mind!" Little says.

To counter that trend, she’s developed a 45-minute program that can be used in schools to prevent kids from starting a habit. Its message— you’re being manipulated, and it’s your choice whether to respond.