16 September 2026
by Meg Kennedy – Education Matters
Australian secondary students are experimenting with multiple nicotine products, with new research revealing significant overlap between the use of vapes, cigarettes and nicotine pouches.
The study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, found more than one in 10 teenagers surveyed had tried e-cigarettes, while smaller but concerning numbers reported using tobacco cigarettes and nicotine pouches.
Researchers said the findings highlight the need for stronger efforts from all levels of government to prevent nicotine addiction among young people.
Led by the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney, the research described as one of the largest and most recent examinations of lifetime nicotine product use among Australian adolescents.
Researchers found more than 12 percent of participants had used e-cigarettes in their lifetime, almost 6 percent had used tobacco cigarettes and 3.5 percent had used nicotine pouches.
Compared to females, males had nearly three times greater odds of nicotine pouch use and over one and a half times greater odds of cigarette use. Nicotine pouch use was reported by 4.8 percent of males, compared to 1.5 percent of females, while tobacco cigarette use was reported by 6.9 percent of males and 4.1 percent of females.
Lead author Dr Lauren Gardner, Senior Research Fellow at the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney, said the findings underscored the need for targeted prevention and support strategies.
“The teenage years are a critical period for preventing nicotine use – it’s the period when the brain is most susceptible to addiction, which they can then carry for life. Our study shows that teenage boys may benefit from targeted support,” said Dr Gardner.
“Many teens who have used one nicotine product have also tried others, so we need effective prevention strategies that address shared risk factors for nicotine use more broadly, rather than focusing on just vaping or smoking.”