So Your Teenager Is Vaping E-Cigarettes – Should You Worry?

Lynn T. Kozlowski

Health, Americas

E-cigarettes don’t necessarily contain nicotine.

E-cigarettes and other vaping products are on track to out-sell cigarettes by the end of 2023. And more and more young people are trying e-cigarettes. So what do you need to know about them? Are they less harmful than using cigarettes or other burned tobacco products?

What are E-Cigarettes?

First, they are not burned tobacco products. Most often, they contain nicotine solutions that are heated to make a vapor (hence the terms vape or vaping), and they’re usually powered by batteries. Some look like cigarettes and others can resemble flashlights. The first e-cigarettes were not produced by cigarette companies, but the cigarette companies have gotten into the business. E-cigarette and vaping products are available in specialty stores and convenience stores around the US with varying restrictions on purchase by youth under 18.

E-cigarettes don’t necessarily contain nicotine. Some popular products contain little or no nicotine and levels can vary from brand to brand. And nicotine isn’t always the reason someone might try e-cigarettes. In Canada – where nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are not approved, but still widely available – only 38% of adult cigarette smokers who also use e-cigarettes “always use nicotine” and 30% “sometime use nicotine” when vaping. And only 4% of those who never smoked tobacco reported using nicotine when vaping.

Why Do Young People Use E-Cigarettes?