The REAL risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults
E-cigarettes, initially created to help existing smokers quit, have now become a “drug of choice” for kids, youth and teens. The popularity has now far surpassed that of traditional cigarette use in today’s youth.
It’s important to know that VAPING is NOT SAFE! According to Drugfree.org,thousands of illnesses and even deaths have been linked to vaping.
Vaping use by Grade
From the 2023 Youth Counts Survey
Perception of Peer Vaping Use in Past Month
What are e-Cigarettes?
- E-cigarettes are electronic devices that heat a liquid and produce an aerosol, or mix of small particles in the air.
- E-cigarettes come in many shapes and sizes. Most have a battery, a heating element, and a place to hold a liquid.
- Some e-cigarettes look like regular cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Some look like USB flash drives, pens, and other everyday items. Larger devices such as tank systems, or “mods,” do not look like other tobacco products.
- E-cigarettes are known by many different names. They are sometimes called “e-cigs,” “e-hookahs,” “mods,” “vape pens,” “vapes,” “tank systems,” and “electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).”
- Using an e-cigarette is sometimes called “vaping.”
More about JUUL
- JUUL is a brand of e-cigarette that is shaped like a USB flash drive. Like other e-cigarettes, JUUL is a battery-powered device that heats a nicotine-containing liquid to produce an aerosol that is inhaled.
- All JUUL e-cigarettes have a high level of nicotine. According to the manufacturer, a single JUUL pod contains as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes.2
- JUUL is one of a few e-cigarettes that use nicotine salts, which allow particularly high levels of nicotine to be inhaled more easily and with less irritation than the free-base nicotine that has traditionally been used in tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.
- News outlets and social media sites report widespread use of JUUL by students in schools, including classrooms and bathrooms.
- Approximately two-thirds of JUUL users aged 15 – 24 do not know that JUUL always contains nicotine.
- Although JUUL is currently the top-selling e-cigarette brand in the United States, other companies sell e-cigarettes that look like USB flash drives. Examples include the MarkTen Elite, a nicotine delivery device, and the PAX Era, a marijuana delivery device that looks like JUUL.
- Additional information about USB-shaped e-cigarettes and actions that parents, educators, and health care providers can take to protect kids is available at CDC’s Infographic [PDF – 1.2MB]
My child is Vaping – What should I do?
Have a conversation
Recognize your child won’t want to discuss this with you but look for an opportunity to have a calm and reasonable conversation. You can bring up news stories, school vaping policies, or a piece of information received from T.A.P.P.!
Listen, don’t Lecture
Focus on the health risks and your concerns versus punishment. Most importantly, if they ask questions, be ready to give open, honest and science-backed responses.
Get to the WHY
Most kids start vaping due to peer pressure or curiosity but over time, vaping can become addictive or be used as a coping mechanism to address underlying issues. Ask some simple questions, again in a calm and caring manner.
- Why did you start vaping?
- What do you like about vaping?
- How does vaping make you feel?
Set Clear Expectations
It’s important for you to share why you don’t want your child to vape. So although you want to approach the topic of vaping calmly, you should set clear boundaries. Focus on rewarding healthier habits versus imposing long-lasting harsh ones if you want to get better buy-in! Remember how they probably started – trying to fit in, be cool, and/or to reduce stress.
Reasonable consequences, such as losing some privileges should be clear and followed through with.
TAPP is a community coalition whose mission is to promote healthy life choices through collaboration, education, support and training. We engage and mobilize youth, parents and community partners to prevent substance misuse, foster emotional health, and maintain a safe and healthy community.
58 High Street, Torrington, CT 06790
(959) 799-1445
torringtonapp@gmail.com
