For 20+ years, youth and public health workers have been holding our breath as traditional cigarette smoking rates among young people have steadily declined. It took years of effort, collaboration, and communication with the general public so to see these numbers drop – it’s a big win! Finally, we could all take a breath of fresh air?!
Not so fast.
Before we could celebrate, the tobacco industry found a new, smokeless product to target our young people – and it’s working. Today, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports these new devices, known as e-cigarettes, are the most popular tobacco product used by middle and high school students. But, wait. They’re smokeless? That must make them a better alternative, right? Not quite. Today, we’ll dive into three things every parent needs to know about this thing called “vaping”.
What Are E-Cigarettes?
To prevent using them, let’s start by what understanding what these devices are. E-cigarettes or “e-cigs,” “mods,” “vape pens,” and “vapes” are electronic devices that typically have a battery, a heating device, and a place that holds liquid. Once the liquid nicotine is heated, it creates an aerosol or a vapor that is inhaled. The most popular and growing e-cigarette brand is called JUUL. So the act of using an e-cigarette is often referred to as “JUULing” or “vaping.”
Some devices look similar to a USB flash drive, a pen, a pipe or cigarette. Some of them look nothing like you’d expect a tobacco product to look like, check out the image below.
What Are the Risks of Using E-Cigarettes?
In their recent campaign, the Surgeon General urges parents to, “Know The Risks, E-Cigarettes & Young People” by sharing the risks of nicotine in any form. Here are the highlights of this campaign:
- Nicotine exposure for youth and young adults has the risk of long-term and long-lasting effects such as nicotine addiction, mood disorders, and permanent lowering of impulse control.
- Research indicates that the use of e-cigarettes is linked to alcohol and other drug use, specifically marijuana. Some e-cigarette products can also be used to smoke marijuana.
- The aerosol vapors from e-cigarettes are not as harmless as they are advertised to be. They have been found to contain harmful chemicals including diacetyl, benzene, and heavy metals such as lead, tin, and nickel. It is difficult to know exactly what is found in e-cigarettes as there have been some marketed as containing zero percent nicotine when in fact they were tested and did contain nicotine.
In addition to harmful ingredients, adding flavors to liquid nicotine seems to be an effective marketing tool for youth and teens too. A Surgeon General report found that flavors were used by 85% of e-cigarette users between the ages of 12 and 17. These flavors include candy, fruit, chocolate, sweets, and even alcohol flavor and menthol. Here’s another image provided by the CDC that highlights all of the ingredients and dangerous chemicals found in e-cigarette vapors.
How to Prevent Vaping (Without Sounding Like a Drag)
We get it. The tobacco industry has a business to a run. They worked hard to define the narrative around e-cigarettes as a safe form of smoking. Initially, e-cigarettes were presented as safe to use and allowable in smoke-free environments. Their persuasive advertising worked. Young people are reporting that they perceive e-cigarettes as safe, leading to a rapid increase in use. But as a parent and caregiver, it’s our responsibility to take action. So what actions can you take to overcome billions of marketing dollars?
Talk with them. Not at them, but talk with them.
The most straight-forward prevention technique is to talk with your young person. Ask them questions. What do they know? Start at any age with age-appropriate questions. Avoid questions with yes or no answers. Ask if they have heard of vaping or if they have seen their friends using e-cigarettes. Asking open-ended questions, in a nonjudgemental way, allows them to share what they know and how they feel.
If you’re willing, share real stories about how you experienced smoking as a kid, the effects on a family friend or neighbor. Even if you smoke or smoked, talk to them about your experience. Ask them to look up information or on e-cigarettes ingredients and the effects they have on their health. Through research, help your child dispel the misconceptions that e-cigarettes are safe. Even if they taste like bubblegum and chocolate, they’re not safe.
We don’t want to see another generation of young people fall prey to the tobacco industry yet again. For additional resources and conversation starters, we’ve compiled a list of other resources to help everyone learn the facts, start conversations, and hopefully breathe a little easier. If you need additional support or if you found another helpful link, please include it in the comments below.
Resources:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Office on Smoking and Health. (n.d.) Talk with Your Teen About E-cigarettes: A Tip Sheet for Parents.
- Retrieved from CATCH My Breath Program. (n.d.) Parent Resources. Retrieved from U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- (2018) Youth Tobacco Use: Results from the 2016 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017) E-cigarette Ads and Youth.
