Help Stop Teen Vaping

Vaping, or the act of using an “electronic cigarette” or “e-cigarette” or “vape” has grown in popularity in recent years. These battery-powered vape devices create an aerosol that looks like water vapor but contains nicotine, flavoring, and more than 30 other chemicals. The aerosol is inhaled into the lungs where the nicotine and chemicals cross over into the bloodstream. According to the American Lung Association, teens are more likely to vape than they are to pursue traditional methods of tobacco use like chewing tobacco or cigarettes. 

Most adult tobacco users today began before turning 18. Youth use of nicotine or tobacco in any form—whether smoked, smokeless, or vaped (e-cigarettes or “vaping”)—is unsafe. Currently, electronic cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among youth, and one survey found that other nicotine-containing products, like gummies, lozenges, or pouches, may be the second most popular choice. These products are not FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapies for quitting smoking. Instead, they represent a new category of commercial oral nicotine products, often advertised as tobacco-free and marketed to youth with fruit and dessert flavors, digital campaigns, and themes suggesting minimal harm.

While in the majority of states, the minimum age of sale for e-cigarettes is 18, teens can still get their hands on them through older friends, siblings, or even taking from the stockpile of a parent or other adult at home. 

 

What Are The Risks

Nicotine, found in most e-cigarettes and vapes, can damage the developing brain and affect mental health. Given that nicotine is highly addictive, it’s alarming that a single pod of JUUL (a brand of e-cigarette) contains as much nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes. PuffBars and the vast majority of other vape products also contain nicotine.

Brain development

Nicotine, which is found in most e-cigarettes, can harm the parts of the brain that control learning, attention, mood, and impulse control. Even small amounts of nicotine can cause long-lasting changes to brain development, which can lead to behavior problems, memory and learning issues, and future addiction. Teens can become addicted to nicotine quickly, sometimes before they start using it regularly. 

Lung damage

E-cigarettes contain chemicals like formaldehyde and acrolein that can cause irreversible lung damage. The aerosol from e-cigarettes can also irritate the lungs, throat, and eyes, and can make it easier to catch colds or the flu. E-VALI, or e-cigarette-associated lung injury, can cause symptoms like coughing, chest pain, fever, and trouble breathing. If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, you should see a doctor or pediatric lung specialist. 

Other health consequences

Vaping can also cause other health problems, including headaches, dizziness, vomiting, and wheezing. Teens who vape may also be more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future.

What Parents Can Do

Parents can set a good example for their kids by not using tobacco and keeping their homes tobacco-free. Schools can provide tobacco intervention programs (such as INDEPTH) to educate students about the dangers of tobacco and tobacco cessation programs to help young people. States can pass legislation to increase taxes on tobacco products, pass and implement comprehensive smoke-free indoor air laws, and limit minors’ access to tobacco products through raising the age of purchase and restricting flavors. You can even help your teen sign up for text reminders to help them quit smoking as these have been shown to have success (2024 data here! 

Resources:

Download Resource Sheets: https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/helping-teens-quit/kids-and-smoking 

Join “This is Quitting” to get text reminders to quit: https://www.thetruth.com/about-truth/collaboration/this-is-quitting 

Call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit Lung.org/stop-smoking to learn about quitting safely.

For questions or any other concerns, Augusta Pediatrics can be reached at (706) 868-0389. The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this web site is for general information purposes only.