Local Youth Leaders Mobilize Against Tobacco Marketing at Statewide Summit

Despite significant progress in reducing youth vaping in New York, more than one in 10 high school students still use e-cigarettes, and nicotine pouch use is rising in popularity. As manipulative tobacco marketing continues to attract and addict young people to nicotine, local teens are stepping up to raise awareness and counter the tobacco industry's influence in their communities.

Four students from the towns of Brentwood and Hempstead recently joined more than 100 teens from across the state at SUNY Oswego for the three-day All-Around New York Youth Summit designed to inform, involve and inspire them to fight the tobacco industry’s influence in their home communities.

The Long Island teens are part of Reality Check, the youth component of the Tobacco Action Coalition of Long Island and a program of the statewide Tobacco Control Program funded by the state’s Department of Health. Reality Check is a youth-led movement that empowers young people to become community leaders. Supported by adults, the initiative exposes the manipulative and deceptive marketing tactics of the tobacco industry. Pictured left to right: Bryana Chavez and Stefany Diaz, ninth-grade students at Brentwood Freshman Campus, and Genesis Mejia and Bryanna Platero, 10th-grade students at Hempstead High School.

Youth attendee Bryanna Platero, 10th grade, Hempstead High School said, "Programs like Reality Check are important for youth because they help them understand how major tobacco companies try to appeal to them, while also giving them the tools to address those tactics."

Vaping drops, but e-cigarettes are still popular among youth

According to the 2024 New York Youth Tobacco Survey, e-cigarettes remain the most used tobacco product among high school students. Efforts by the New York State Tobacco Control Program have helped reduce youth use from 18.7% in 2022 to 13.1% in 2024. Despite this progress, more than one in 10 youth still use e-cigarettes**, and** nicotine pouch use among this group doubled during the same time period.

Teens prepare to take action

During the three-day summit, teens developed leadership, communication and mobilization skills by engaging in workshops, learning storytelling techniques and creating displays for community education. They also planned and practiced activities to carry out locally. Their aim is to raise awareness about industry tactics that normalize tobacco use—marketing sweet, low-cost products that appeal to young people and make it harder for current users to quit.

"I learned a variety of things at Youth Summit that I was able to bring back to help educate my community. For example, I learned how to hold a tabling event, as well as how to become a better public speaker—skills that are valuable in helping our communities understand the real impact of the tobacco industry," added Bryanna Platero.

The Tobacco Action Coalition of Long Island is one of 21 Advancing Tobacco-Free Communities grants funded by the New York State Department of Health's Bureau of Tobacco Control and administered by the American Lung Association. Our grant includes a community engagement component and a youth action component, Reality Check, which work collaboratively to promote environments that support a tobacco-free norm while educating and empowering youth to become change agents within their communities.

Source: New York Youth Tobacco Survey 2024