Big drop in US teen vaping seen with COVID school closures

By MATTHEW PERRONE
AP Health Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Government researchers reported a big drop in teen vaping this year as many U.S. students stayed home from school during the pandemic. Survey results released Thursday give the first indication of how COVID-19 disruptions may have slowed the underage use of electronic cigarettes. Government officials urged caution in comparing the latest survey numbers to prior years, because of differences in how the results were gathered. But outside researchers said the drop is likely real and makes sense given that young people often vape socially. In the survey 11% percent of high school students said they regularly vape, down from nearly 20% last year.