Gen Z \u2014 largely comprised of middle- and high-school students \u2014 reported the lowest smoking rates on record in 2024, according to CDC and FDA data, but that trend may be in jeopardy.
\n\u201cOverall, the decline in smoking in the US, [down] to about 11.9% of the population overall, is a great public health success story that has occurred over the past 20 years,\u201d Dr. Neil W. Schluger, dean of the School of Medicine of New York Medical College and pulmonologist, told Fox News Digital.
\nSome experts, however, fear that the \u201ccool factor\u201d could be making a comeback, hooking a new generation on smoking.
\nIn certain populations, there is reportedly a movement to re-glamorize cigarette smoking, Schluger said.<\/p>\n
One Instagram account, @Cigfluencers, posts photos of celebrities with cigarettes to its more than 83,000 followers.
\n\u201cSMOKING HOT!\u201d reads a caption for a provocative image of Sabrina Carpenter smoking over a bathroom sink. \u201cAlso, Smoking = Hot.\u201d
\nAdditional celebrities who have been open about their cigarette use \u2014 and are also pictured on @Cigfluencers \u2014 include Ben Affleck, Jeremy Allen White and Natalie Portman, among others.
\n\u201cInfluencers can be influenced by marketing dollars and can attract younger generations, particularly if the channels used are popular among younger people, such as with social media,\u201d said Judith J. Prochaska, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University in California, whose research focuses on developing effective treatments for tobacco dependence.<\/p>\n
Some experts believe pop culture influencers may lead to a rise in cigarette smoking among Generation Z. pixelrain \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span> \u201cIt\u2019s confusing and a dangerous contradiction for young people who take their cues from pop culture and celebrity influencers, and are especially vulnerable to believe that smoking is more popular than it really is,\u201d said Truth Initiative CEO and President Robin Koval in a news article on the organization\u2019s website. In the mid- to late-90s, around one-third of high-schoolers smoked cigarettes. That has dropped to less than 3% today, according to the American Lung Association. Over 90% of long-term smokers started before the age of 18, Boffa said. \u201cThe reduction in tobacco use in the US is a huge advance in public health, and we should be vigilant not to slide backwards,\u201d Schluger said. A: According to the American Lung Association, less than 3% of high schoolers today smoke cigarettes.<\/p>\n A: Social media platforms can normalize smoking by showcasing celebrities and influencers smoking, making it seem appealing and cool to young people.<\/p>\n A: Smoking can lead to chronic obstructive lung disease, cancer, oral health problems, pregnancy harms, sexual dysfunction, mental health effects, coronary artery disease, aneurysms, peripheral vascular disease, heart attacks, and strokes.<\/p>\n A: Most long-term smokers started before the age of 18, and the severe health-related consequences of smoking may not appear until decades later, making it crucial to prevent smoking initiation among young people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pop Culture and Smoking Trends Introduction to the Issue Gen Z \u2014 largely comprised of middle- and high-school students \u2014 reported the lowest smoking rates on record in 2024, according to CDC and FDA data, but that trend may be in jeopardy. \u201cOverall, the decline in smoking in the US, [down] to about 11.9% of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":25473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-25471","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-wellness"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2025%2F11%2F115544234.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall&w=1920&resize=1920,1279&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25471"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25471"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25474,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25471\/revisions\/25474"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nMultiple studies show that adolescents and young adults who watch smoking-related content are more likely to begin using tobacco products in the future, but those risks are magnified when they engage with tobacco content on social media.<\/p>\nImpact on Young People<\/h2>\n
\nIn a recent opinion piece published in The BMJ, the author wrote that smoking is experiencing a \u201cpop-culture revival\u201d that is an \u201cunwelcome throw-back for public health.\u201d
\n\u201cThis normalization of smoking risks is re-igniting a harmful cultural association between cigarettes and coolness, to which young people are particularly vulnerable,\u201d the article says.<\/p>\nSmoking Trends Among Youth<\/h2>\n
Historical Context<\/h3>\n
\n\u201cIt is harder to track trends in youth and young adults, because they tend to be less connected to survey efforts, and behaviors can change quickly,\u201d Dr. Daniel J. Boffa, vice chair of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and division chief of thoracic surgery at Yale School of Medicine, told Fox News Digital.
\nOnly 3% of high schoolers today smoke cigarettes \u2014 but many more are vaping or using e-cigarettes. @altonphoto \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span>
\n\u201cThe signals we do have suggest that tobacco smoking rates are much lower in Gen Z than for some earlier generations.\u201d
\nBoffa noted, however, that around 8% of Gen Z teens use e-cigarettes \u2014 \u201cwhich is important because we really don\u2019t know the long-term effect of e-cigarettes yet, and some young adults will switch over from e-cigarettes to smoking tobacco.\u201d<\/p>\nHealth Risks of Smoking<\/h2>\n
Long-Term Consequences<\/h3>\n
\n\u201cThe problem with tobacco smoking in the teenage and young adult years is that the most severe health-related consequences won\u2019t appear for a few decades, making it easier to ignore the warnings,\u201d he warned.
\nWhen someone smokes over time, the inhaled combusted tobacco and paper damage the tiny air sacs in the lungs called alveoli, which facilitate the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This damage could lead to chronic obstructive lung disease, according to Mayo Clinic.
\nThe habit can also increase cancer risk, health experts warn. Humans produce random mutated cells that can potentially become cancerous, but a healthy immune system usually eliminates those cells.
\nWhen someone smokes, however, toxic substances enter the body and depress the immune system, giving those mutated cells a chance to grow and become cancerous.
\nRepeated exposure can also increase the risk of oral health problems, pregnancy harms, sexual dysfunction and even mental health effects, Prochaska warned.
\nSmoking is also a risk factor for coronary artery disease, aneurysms in the aorta (the main artery of the heart), peripheral vascular disease, and heart attacks and strokes, according to the FDA.<\/p>\nConclusion<\/h2>\n
\nTo maintain this progress, the doctor is a proponent of banning smoking in public places, raising tobacco taxes, increasing funding for cessation programs, and cracking down on illegal advertising and sales to minors.<\/p>\nFAQs<\/h2>\n
Q: What is the current smoking rate among Gen Z?<\/h3>\n
Q: How does social media influence smoking trends among youth?<\/h3>\n
Q: What are the long-term health risks of smoking?<\/h3>\n
Q: Why is it important to monitor smoking trends among youth?<\/h3>\n