FDA's Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan
FDA's Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan—a key component of the agency's Comprehensive Plan for Tobacco and Nicotine Regulation—is a series of actions to stop youth use of tobacco products, especially e-cigarettes, with special focus on three key areas:
- Preventing youth access to tobacco products
- Curbing marketing of tobacco products aimed at youth; and
- Educating teens about the dangers of using any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes, as well as educating retailers about their key role in protecting youth
Milestones
FDA's enforcement actions and youth education efforts designed to protect kids from the harms of e-cigarettes include:
Access
Conducting more than 1 million retail inspections
Keeping individual retail locations and corporate retailers accountable for sales to underage purchasers.
Pursuing No Tobacco Sales Orders to Retail Locations
Barring retail locations that repeatedly sell to underage purchasers from selling tobacco products for a period of time.
Taking actions on flavored tobacco Products
Unveiling steps to prevent youth access.
Addressing epidemic of youth e-cigarette use
Taking action against 1,300+ retailers and 5 major manufacturers for their roles perpetuating youth access.
Warning retailers for selling e-cigarettes to underage purchasers
Taking action against retailers for selling tobacco products to underage purchasers.
Marketing
Prioritizing enforcement against products with youth appeal
Finalizing policy prioritizing enforcement against certain unauthorized flavored cartridge-based e-cigarettes that appeal to children
Protecting children from e-liquid dangers
Warning companies selling misleadingly labeled and/or advertised e-liquids resembling kid-friendly food products.
Requiring manufacturers to provide critical information
Sending several information requests related to JUUL and other e-cigarette products.
Education
Educating youth on dangers of e-cigarette use
FDA has developed a Vaping Prevention and Education Resource Center to provide e-cigarette prevention information in English and Spanish, including lesson plans, activity sheets, and videos, to middle and high school educators.
Expanding "The Real Cost" campaign
Expanding our award-winning youth tobacco prevention campaign, "The Real Cost" to help ensure teens understand the risks of e-cigarettes.
Helping retailers comply with age restrictions
Launching a retailer education effort, "This is Our Watch."
For More Information
- Youth Tobacco Use: Results from the National Youth Tobacco Survey
- "The Real Cost" Youth E-Cigarette Prevention Campaign
- Enforcement actions and a Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan to stop youth use of, and access to, JUUL and other e-cigarettes: April 24, 2018
"The troubling reality is that electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) such as e-cigarettes have become wildly popular with kids." - Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD - Keep e-liquids away from children
Containers for e-liquids (the liquid used in e-cigarette products) can seem tempting to children of all ages for many reasons. To keep kids safe, follow storage tips, know the poison control number, and make sure to properly handle e-liquids. - Report sales to underage purchasers and other potential tobacco violations
The Tobacco Control Act and related regulations give FDA tools to help keep tobacco out of the hands of America's youth. If you see what you believe to be a violation of the Tobacco Control Act or other related regulations, you can report it to the FDA Center for Tobacco Products.