The average teen vaper starts using e-cigarettes at just 13, according to a major study.
Using nicotine as a teen, can disrupt brain development, which continues until you're 25 years old. These long-lasting effects can increase impulsivity and mood disorders. And, teens who vape are more likely to smoke cigarettes. Bottom line is that vaping is unsafe for everyone, especially the younger you are.
Nicotine exposure during the teenage years can harm brain development, which continues until about age 25. It can impact learning, memory and attention, and 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.
It's common among teens. By learning about vaping, parents can: Talk to their kids about its health risks. Recognize if their child might be vaping.
Encourage them to have a plan
Talk to your teen about how they will manage cravings and temptation if they are around peers who vape. Help them build a list of actions and activities they can use to distract themselves when cravings strike. The quitSTART app has games and challenges to help people quit.
If you do find that your child is vaping, support them. Parental support is instrumental in helping teens, and young adults kick the habit. Have an open conversation about why you don't want them vaping. Be a resource, so they don't just agree with you and continue to hide their habit.
Under state and territory laws, it is illegal to possess, supply or sell nicotine containing e-cigarettes, except: in specific circumstances. and when they are being supplied or accessed through a prescription.
The NSW Population Health Survey estimated that in 2021, 16.2% of adults had ever used e-cigarettes and 5.5% were current (daily or occasional) users. In 2020–21, use of e-cigarettes was highest among persons aged 16-24 years, for both ever use (32.7%) and current use (11.1%).
According to Blaha, there are three reasons e-cigarettes may be particularly enticing to young people. First, many teens believe vaping is less harmful than smoking. Second, e-cigarettes have a lower per-use cost than traditional cigarettes. Finally, youths and adults find the lack of smoke appealing.
Vaping overall, even without nicotine, can have harmful effects. Vaping, the act of vaporizing a liquid to inhale, is an increasingly popular alternative to cigarette smoking. However, it could damage health by irritating the lungs and throat and introducing toxins into the body.
Seven out of 20 people in the US use vaping products regularly. One out of every three smoking also vape. 8% of people in the US admit to vaping at least once every week.
Breathing in the harmful chemicals from vaping products can cause irreversible (cannot be cured) lung damage, lung disease and, in some cases, death. Some chemicals in vaping products can also cause cardiovascular disease and biological changes that are associated with cancer development.
About a quarter of the dual vapers and nicotine-only vapers started vaping nicotine to calm down or feel less stressed, and one-third of participants in both groups reported that they currently vaped nicotine to cope with feelings of anxiety.
Can vaping help with weight loss? Vapes containing nicotine may help prevent weight gain and lead to weight loss. However, vaping is not an effective long-term weight loss method and may also have health risks. Nicotine may reduce appetite and food intake and increase metabolism.
Therefore, most newbies are concerned about the number of puffs considered to be safe. There is no standard amount of vaping since everyone has unique body chemistry. However, research points out that an average vaper should inhale between one hundred and thirty-two to two hundred and forty vapes.
There is no “safe” vaping
“Flavorings” may contain a mix of toxic chemicals.
The lack of research combined with a lack of federal regulation means that there is simply no evidence suggesting “healthy vapes” offer any benefit or a healthy alternative to nicotine-based devices. While certainly easier said than done, quitting is the safest and healthiest alternative to vaping.
Most parents are positive they would definitely or probably know if their child vaped from their kids telling them, finding vaping supplies in their child's things, detecting it by smell or finding out from other people.
You may also find thin metallic coils or empty plastic vials in the garbage or your teen's car. Those are less obvious but still clear signs that someone is vaping. Parents can sometimes find evidence of vaping through smell, but the aroma of vaping can be harder to detect than the smell of cigarettes.
Does vaping inside leave a long-lasting smell? Likewise, though some people may notice that vaping inside leaves a slight odour, this is much less noticeable than that of traditional cigarettes smoke. Again, this can be reduced by ensuring good ventilation throughout your home.