Vaping: E-Cigarettes and Youth
WHAT ARE E-CIGARETTES?
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery-powered devices that deliver nicotine, flavorings, and other ingredients to the user. Using e-cigarettes is sometimes called “vaping.” E-cigarettes do not create harmless “water vapor” – they create an aerosol that can contain harmful chemicals.
WHAT DO E-CIGARETTES LOOK LIKE?
E-cigarettes come in many shapes and sizes. Some look like regular cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Larger e-cigarettes such as tank systems–or "mods"–do not look like other tobacco products.
Some e-cigarettes look like other items commonly used by youth, such as pens and other everyday items. New e-cigarettes shaped like USB flash drives are popular among youth, including JUUL and the PAX Era, which looks like JUUL and delivers marijuana.
About USB Flash Drive-Shaped E-Cigarettes
As a parent or caregiver, you may have heard about the use of USB flash drive-shaped e-cigarettes, including JUUL (pronounced "jewel"). JUUL is the top-selling e-cigarette brand in the United States.
JUUL is being used by students in schools, including in classrooms and bathrooms. JUUL's nicotine refills are called "pods." According to the manufacturer, a single JUUL pod can contain as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes.
JUUL delivers nicotine in a new form called "nicotine salts," which can make it less harsh on the throat and easier to use by youth. JUUL also comes in flavors that can appeal to youth.
HOW MANY YOUTH ARE USING E-CIGARETTES?
- E-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youth since 2014.
- In 2020, CDC and FDA data showed that at least 3.6 million U.S. youth, including about 1 in 5 high school students and about 1 in 20 middle school students, used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS FOR YOUTH?
- Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive.
- Nicotine exposure during adolescence can:
- Harm brain development, which continues until about age 25.
- Impact learning, memory, and attention.
- Increase risk for future addiction to other drugs.
- Young people who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to go on to use regular cigarettes.
- Many e-cigarettes come in kid-friendly flavors – including mango, fruit, and crème – which make e-cigarettes more appealing to young people.
- E-cigarette aerosol is not harmless. It can contain harmful substances, including:
- Nicotine
- Cancer-causing chemicals
- Volatile organic compounds
- Ultrafine particles
- Flavorings that have been linked to lung disease
- Heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead
WHAT CAN YOU DO AS A PARENT OR CAREGIVER?
As a parent or caregiver, you have an important role in protecting children from e-cigarettes.
- Talk to your child or teen about why e-cigarettes are harmful for them. It's never too late.
- Set a good example by being tobacco-free.
- Learn about the different shapes and types of e-cigarettes and the risks of e-cigarette use for young people.
Learn more about emerging tobacco products
- Vaping Lingo Dictionary: A guide to popular terms and devices
- What is Zyn and what are oral nicotine pouches?
- What you need to know about new synthetic nicotine products
- Elf Bar, Hyde, and Breeze – what you need to know about the rise in disposable e-cigarettes
RESOURCES
KANSAS TOBACCO QUITLINE
1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669)
7 days a week, 24 hours a day
Quitting Help
Unified Government of Wyandotte County
(913) 703-6302
uamachree@wycokck.org
Public Health Department
619 Ann Ave
Kansas City, KS 66101
Quitting Tobacco
Tobacco Free Wyandotte (TFW) Coalition
In addition to providing tobacco treatment services, the Wyandotte County Public Health Department also coordinates the Tobacco Free Wyandotte coalition, which works on community-wide initiatives to reduce tobacco use and the burden of tobacco-related disease in our county.
Want to get involved? Then, contact the Tobacco Program Staff: (913) 703-6302 uamachree@wycokck.org
Resist Tobacco Prevention Program
Resist is a statewide, youth-led movement that uses activism to expose and encourage others to resist big tobacco’s manipulative marketing tactics.
Resist chapters are locally established youth tobacco prevention groups that work on peer-to-peer education, awareness, and policies that prevent tobacco and electronic cigarette/vaping use.
