A parent, youth sports coach, or high school teacher today may find themselves in the unfamiliar situation of hearing the kids in their lives throwing around terms and wondering if they’re describing some new streaming show, an emerging K-Pop band, or the latest trending dance on social media. But increasingly, what they’re talking about might be a new kind of tobacco or nicotine device, and these trusted adults should learn to recognize what these look like, and be ready to have supportive conversations that lead our next generation to making great decisions for their health.

Adults active in the lives of Florida kids, teens, and young adults need to be able to recognize and understand new products, brands and technologies that are part of the changing way tobacco and nicotine enter the scene. As these young people encounter and learn about these products, Tobacco Free Florida encourages concerned adults to prepare for informed and open conversations about the health risks associated with these new forms of nicotine.

Tobacco Free Florida launched a new initiative centered on a specific aspect of tobacco cessation, prevention and education called “The New Nicotine Generation: Adapt, Educate, and Overcome.” The initiative kicked off the week of June 23, 2024, aligning with a time when youth and young adults throughout Florida often have finished the school year and are shifting to new summer schedules. The shift may include more free time as well as more opportunities for important conversations about life and health choices.

Here are some things you can do as part of our goal of working together to achieve a Tobacco Free Florida.

Public health efforts and education campaigns have made great progress in preventing youth initiation into tobacco. As one example, cigarettes are almost entirely gone from Florida middle and high schools today, with the 2024 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey showing just 1.0% of Florida middle and high schoolers today use conventional cigarettes.

Still, the tobacco industry continues to create new products and seek new ways to entice the next generation to try its unsafe, addictive nicotine delivery systems. Recently, tobacco control efforts have succeeded in making headway against underage use of e-cigarettes, and today the rate of Florida youth using e-cigarettes is dropping from its peak levels from its epidemic level a few years ago. While the tide is turning, the numbers are still at concerning levels though, with 10.4% of high schoolers and 4.8% of middle schoolers still using e-cigarettes.

In just five short years since the peak of the e-cigarette epidemic, new nicotine delivery products have emerged and are already growing in popularity. The following are some sample images showing the designs and shapes of some of these devices.

Learn about what’s new in the industry. It will help inform your conversations and you’ll be ready to understand what today’s youth are encountering.

• Oral nicotine products are marketed as an alternative to smokeless tobacco. They contain synthetic nicotine and are placed between the gums and the lip. Usage of these products is skyrocketing.

Oral Nicotine Pouches

• “Smart” Vapes are advanced e-cigarettes featuring digital screens, simple games, and Bluetooth connectivity. These devices attract kids with their engaging, gamified elements, and appealing flavors like “merry berry” and “cherry pop.” Critics warn that these devices not only deliver addictive nicotine but also promote addictive behaviors through their interactive features and digital prizes.

“Smart” Vapes

• Disposable e-cigarettes have also flooded the market. Unlike the refillable e-cigarette devices popular over the past several years, these single-use, disposable systems create significant waste in addition to being harmful and addictive. Between 2019 and 2023, sales of disposable e-cigarettes rose more than 500 percent. Today they are the most common type of device used by young people.

Common Disposable E-Cigarette Products

• Flavored e-cigarettes have increasingly gained popularity among underage users. Flavors are a major driver of youth e-cigarette use. These products are not operating under the most recent U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA) flavor policy since they are not cartridge or pod-based.

Flavored E-Cigarette Products

• “Heat-not-burn” devices are another new category receiving heavy investment and marketing from the tobacco industry. Heat-not-burn devices are electronic heating devices that heat up tobacco sticks, plugs, capsules, or liquids to absorb flavor and nicotine from tobacco. “Heat-not-burn” devices are in many overseas markets, and on the horizon for introduction here in Florida soon.

Common Heat-Not-Burn Devices

Have a conversation (not a lecture!) about what they’re seeing, hearing, and experiencing.

Look for opportunities that could naturally spark a conversation. Tobacco companies spend millions to promote their addictive products at retail locations such as convenience stores. Consider discussing one of these signs to start a conversation to see what your youth or young adult already knows and any questions they may have.

Today’s youth and young adults get more and more of their information on products from social media, of course. And nicotine delivery systems are no different. One thing to keep in mind as you go into these conversations is that there is extensive misinformation – both deliberately disseminated through paid marketing and often simply through underinformed user-generated content – that means unproven and baseless claims are being made in support of these devices. Your conversation may require filling in some details and correcting myths and misconceptions that are already out about these new products.

Even a quick interaction with a parent, teacher, coach, or caregiver in the life of a youth or young adult can make the difference in helping continue the great progress towards a future that includes a Tobacco Free Florida.

You can play a role today.

And remember – another great thing you can do to help shape the next generation’s behavior is to model strong choices in your own life! If you are ready to quit tobacco and are looking for support, visit TobaccoFreeFlorida.com or call 1-877-U-CAN-NOW (877-822-6669).

FLORIDA YOUTH TOBACCO SURVEY (FYTS) DATA

• FYTS 2024 Data Tables