OSWEGO — While youth vaping rates in New York continue to decline, more than one in 10 high school students still use e-cigarettes, and nicotine pouch use is increasing.
To help address these growing challenges, local teens recently joined youth advocates from across New York state at the 2026 All-Around New York Youth Summit at SUNY Oswego.
Members of Reality Check from Commercial Tobacco Use Reduction Network – Clinton, Franklin and Essex joined over 90 youth leaders from across the state for the three-day leadership summit. The annual event equipped teens with the knowledge, leadership skills and advocacy tools needed to expose the tobacco industry’s deceptive marketing practices and create healthier communities back home.
“Meeting students from across New York reminded me that we’re all working toward the same goal, making sure the next generation doesn’t get tricked by the tobacco industry,” Peyton Dominy, of the Beekmantown Central School District, said.
WORK ISN’T FINISHED
According to the 2024 New York Youth Tobacco Survey, e-cigarettes remain the most commonly used tobacco product among New York high school students.
Thanks to ongoing prevention and education efforts supported by the New York State Tobacco Control Program, youth e-cigarette use declined from 18.7% in 2022 to 13.1% in 2024. However, more than one in 10 high school students still use e-cigarettes.
Nicotine pouch use among youth doubled during that same period.
CREATING CHANGE
Throughout the summit, students participated in interactive workshops focused on leadership development, public speaking, storytelling and community organizing.
They collaborated with peers from across the state, explored the tobacco industry’s marketing strategies and developed action plans they will bring back to Clinton, Franklin and Essex counties.
This summer, and throughout the coming school year, local Reality Check members will use what they learned to educate their peers, engage community leaders and advocate for policies that protect young people from tobacco industry marketing.
Reality Check is a youth-led program of C-TURN CFE, funded through the New York State Tobacco Control Program. It empowers youth to become leaders in their communities by exposing the deceptive tactics used by the tobacco industry and promoting tobacco-free environments where all young people can thrive.