A few years ago, few people knew about electronic cigarettes. Most people thought that vaping was another cool feature among young people that would quickly lose popularity. “First, they thought, it is impractical, and secondly, dangerous.” Large tobacco companies could never have predicted that vaping would compete with tobacco products and begin to displace the market actively.
The popularity of vaping (electronic cigarettes) among teens is growing. Specialists made alarming conclusions from the American National Institutes of Health, who published their report.
It says that the number of high school students who have already tried vaping has grown significantly in just one last year.
According to them, today the e-cigarette (vapingdaily tells useful info) is a real threat to the younger generation of US residents, and indeed for teenagers all over the world.
Researchers say that teens are attracted by a diverse set of tastes and aromas of fillers, and other advertising. Besides, after electronic cigarettes, many try the real ones.
The number of teenagers who tried vaping in 2018 increased from 27% to 37%.
In total, in the USA over the last year, more than 1.3 million people became smokers of electronic cigarettes.
Scientists say that the vapor of electronic cigarettes contains a lot of carcinogens and toxins, which appear as a result of burning part of the vaporized liquid on an incandescent spiral.
Also, doctors say that vaping makes the walls of arteries and veins more fragile and lead to cardiovascular diseases.
By actually prohibiting the sale of flavored vaping products at traditional gas stations and convenience stores, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is permanently returning to the situation of the late 20th century. In those years, the federal government consistently tightened the rules for the placement and content of tobacco advertising – mainly to reduce the impact of such ads on children.
Several recent studies have concluded that young vaping adherents, when they become adults, are much more likely than others to start smoking traditional cigarettes. This caused heated debate in American society.
Actually, many people, both adolescents, and adults use both regular and electronic cigarettes – only young people don’t see vaping as a means to reduce traditional smoking. On the contrary, while in late adolescence young people use electronic cigarettes more often, then already at the beginning of adulthood, priority is given to traditional smoking. Those who start to smoke more electronic cigarettes increase their consumption of traditional ones over time – that is, as they grow older, there is a tendency to increase both types of smoking.
Research suggests that vaping continues to gain momentum among American teens, although alcohol and opioid consumption have declined. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 20 percent of American high school students are adherents of electronic cigarettes, which is about three million teenagers – and this is not counting their junior high school friends.
Vaping really can be a “safer” option for adult smokers, but for young people, it is far from being harmless. It must be remembered that most electronic cigarettes, especially the most popular brands, still contain nicotine, which is highly addictive. For adolescents, this threat is especially serious because their addiction develops more quickly than in adults. It should be noted that the ban on the sale of e-cig to adolescents did not prevent manufacturers from increasing the attractiveness of their product for this category of the population. Of concern is the fact that beautifully packaged electronic cigarettes are actively advertised on social networks – studies show that such strategies achieve their goal, causing interest among children. Based on this, flavored e-cigarettes are the target of the new FDA rules announced last month. These products emit sweet, child-friendly odors, such as blue raspberries or cotton candy. They evoke associations rather with a children’s fruit drink, although, in fact, they contain a substance that causes strong addiction. FDA’s actions are quite reasonable – as recent studies have shown, aroma plays a significant role in teenage vaping.
The problem is that vaping products are gaining more popularity among teenagers rather than adults. An estimated 20 percent of adults in the United States smoke, but only 3 percent prefer electronic cigarettes. But the vast majority of smoking schoolchildren prefer vaping.
If the new FDA rules do not help reverse the current alarming trend, youth use of electronic cigarettes could lead to increased nicotine consumption in the long run.
Five reasons for popularity among young people:
1) It is fashionable. The e-cigarette looks stylish
2) Vaping is cheaper than smoking.
3) Large selection of flavors for vaping liquids.
4) The electronic cigarette makes it easy to quit smoking
5) There is no prohibition on use in public places
Smooth and small e-cigarettes are especially popular among teenagers because they are easy to hide and they don’t smell like regular cigarettes.
Although research on electronic cigarettes cannot be called exhaustive, doctors have a wealth of data on the adverse effects of nicotine on adolescents.
A group of American scientists from Chicago conducted a large-scale study, which led to the conclusion that vaping is contagious. This means that if someone in the company smokes an electronic cigarette, others are more likely to follow his example – especially the high probability of a similar outcome for people aged 18 to 35 years. Apparently, in most cases, switching to vapes to get rid of nicotine addiction does not give the desired result. However, it is worth waiting for more extensive research.
Regular cigarette smoking is deadly, and vaping seems “healthier,” public health experts are worried about the growing demand for e-cigarettes.
Experts warn that due to their popularity, electronic cigarettes are creating a new generation of nicotine-addicted youth, one of the most harmful substances in the world and a key ingredient in electronic cigarettes. Most electronic cigarettes contain toxic metals, and their use can increase the risk of a heart attack.