This page was created in 2018 to help connect you with trusted information from a variety of credible sources so you know the truth about vaping. The good news: since that time, there has been a sharp reduction in youth e-cigarette use nationwide. Students are becoming more aware of the harm related to nicotine addiction and the chemicals in vapes. Now the bad news: the number of current e-cigarette users remains high (source: the FDA’s National Youth Tobacco Survey - click on the image to enlarge).
Together with our partner schools, we hope to see this number continue to decrease through education. For facts and inspiration to help you choose to avoid vaping during your teen years, please check out the videos and national resources curated on this page.
For instructions to view this page in Spanish, click on en Español.
Families Connected Resources
Recommended videos
Pro surfer Alex Gray on the South Bay Families Connected 2019 Vaping Prevention Tour. Together we can turn the tide on the vaping epidemic.
Alex Gray shares perspective on vaping in this short clip.
Related teen topics
Curated Gallery of Resources
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A few important things to know about vaping - updated 12/23
Simply put, the nicotine in e-cigarettes can harm teen’s health. Like all tobacco products, the nicotine in vape devices enters the bloodstream, crosses the blood brain barrier, and enters the brain within 10-20 seconds. Addiction to nicotine is one of the hardest to overcome. Tobacco products such as e-cigarettes can rewire the teen brain to crave more of the substance and create a nicotine addiction. (Source: Food and Drug and Administration).
Flavored tobacco products have been banned in many states, including California. Please visit either of the following links for the latest information: The Truth Initiatives 2021 State Fact Sheet, or Tobacco-Free Kids State Fact Sheet.
The aerosol that users inhale and exhale from e-cigarettes can expose both themselves and bystanders to harmful substances, (Source: Center for Disease Control)
Some e-cigarette manufacturers have used a similar strategy to market e-cigarettes that tobacco companies have used for decades to sell cigarettes: advertising them as stress relievers. How the tobacco industry markets vaping nicotine as stress relief (truth initiative). Learn more about this deception.
Nicotine and your developing brain
Photo credit: still Blowing Smoke. Click on the image to visit their website.
As a teen or young adult, you are uniquely at risk for the effects of nicotine because your brain is not fully developed until you turn 25, on average. Every time you make memories or learn a new skill, your brain takes note. Because addiction is a form of learning, adolescents can then become addicted more easily. Additionally, nicotine puts the teen brain at risk because it can disrupt the areas affecting judgment, completing tasks, and meeting goals. Plus, it can make teens more prone to overblown emotional reactions and immature behavior. This goes way beyond teen moodiness. Using nicotine at a young age is associated with developing mental problems like depression, agoraphobia, panic disorder, and antisocial personality disorder. (Source: US Surgeon General Report and Still Blowing Smoke). Click on the image for more information from Still Blowing Smoke. Also check out a video and info from the Flavors Hook Kids campaign.
It’s not just vapor
The e-cigarette aerosol that users breathe into their lungs and exhale can contain unhealthy and potentially harmful substances, including:
Source: Center for Disease Control
Nicotine - again, even though some e-cigarettes marketed as containing zero percent nicotine have been found to contain nicotine (source: Center for Disease Control).
Ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs
Flavoring such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease
Volatile organic compounds
Heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead
Cancer-causing chemicals (explained below)
The process of heating the nicotine solution produces aldehyde, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, and acrolein, which are known carcinogens. The glycerin/propylene glycol and 8,000+ flavoring chemicals in e-cigs have only been approved for ingestion (eating). It’s not recommended by the manufacturers that these chemicals be inhaled, as they have not been widely tested for their potential sensitizing, toxic, or irritating characteristics. Learn more about the health risks of e-cigarette vapor and toxicology from Science News for Students and Still Blowing Smoke.
What about vaping cannabis?
Though this page focuses on vaping tobacco products, we would be remiss not to acknowledge that youth also vape cannabis products – either the ground plant itself, waxes often referred to as dabs, or THC and CBD oils. Below we share some of the reasons why you should consider staving off use during your teen years.
Yes, cannabis, also known as marijuana, is legal in California and is used recreationally. And yes, CBD oil can have medicinal benefits. But there are reasons why it's illegal for anyone under age 21 to use cannabis recreationally.
Back to the developing teen brain, credible research indicates that marijuana can get in the way of normal brain development, causing brain circuits to wire less optimally. Delaying experimentation and use gives you the best opportunity to have optimal brain functioning and to avoid negative unintended consequences of use.
There is also emerging evidence showing an increased risk of psychosis with frequent use of high potency cannabis. Consider reading these articles: Marijuana and Psychosis (source: Child Mind Institute, published 11/3/23), High-potency cannabis linked to increased risk of psychosis and addiction (source: NBC News, published 7/26/22) & Cannabis and the Teenage Brain (source: Psychology Today, published 7/21/23).
There is incredible variability in how people react to THC, especially given today’s higher potency products. While you might know a friend who uses daily and seems to be functioning just fine, someone else could have a completely different experience with minimal use. In the short term, some stronger varieties can make you physically ill and/or delusional to the point of needing medical care.
Experts agree — stave off use at least until you’re 21. (Sources: NIDA, NIH, The CDC, Scientific American)
The Pass On It Project
It might seem at times like "EVERYONE is vaping!" But the truth is, teens throughout the South Bay have shared with the Pass On It project their reasons for choosing not to succumb to vape culture and peer pressure. Check out some of their top ten reasons by clicking on the button below. For additional blogs from South Bay teens sharing why they choose to say "I'll pass," when it comes to the things that hold them back, like vaping and drinking alcohol, visit the SBFC Teen Blog page.
Get involved. Youth activists in Washington DC take a stand against flavors in vaping products, Nicotine Addiction Shouldn’t Taste Like Candy (truth initiative) If you are interested in learning more or hosting an event in your area, you can visit thetruth.com/flavors.
The Environmental Impact of Tobacco Waste is Destruction (UNDO.org) This impact is increased by the the tobacco industry’s vapes that have caused a youth vaping epidemic, have all the same environmental problems as cigarette butts – plastic pollution and toxic chemicals leaking into the environment. Plus, because they’re electronic devices, they leave behind electronic waste, which is notoriously difficult and costly to dispose of.
Stress Reduction Resources for Teens
The focus of this page is vaping, but the truth is that delaying substance use of any kind — nicotine, marijuana, alcohol, drugs — gives you the best opportunity to have optimal brain functioning and to avoid negative unintended consequences of use. If you’re still skeptical that vaping chemicals, nicotine or cannabis could cause you harm or a dependency, consider this: your teen years are the time to maximize your capacity to navigate complex situations and build brainpower. Why minimize the intellectual and social stimulation to which your brain is perfectly tuned?
We understand that there could be many answers to the question posed above. The teen years are incredibly tumultuous and often confusing. A high percentage of teens experience anxiety, stress, excessive pressure to perform, difficulties with learning and focus, grief… The list is as long as the options for trying to self-medicate.
If you are experiencing any overwhelming emotions or frustrations, know that you are absolutely not alone. We urge you to reach out to school counselor or an adult on campus, and to share your experience with your parent/caregiver. There are amazing people and resources in our South Bay community to help you. It will get better.
Quitting
Nicotine and the young brain (truth initiative) talks about nicotine addiction, “In young people, 5 mg of nicotine a day is enough to establish a nicotine addiction – about the amount of nicotine in one-quarter of an e-cigarette pod.”
“It’s one of the biggest challenges to quitting cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or any tobacco product: Coping with cravings for nicotine withdrawal.” This list of 5 tips for handling nicotine withdrawal (truth initiative) can help you kick the nicotine habit.
The mix of highs and lows over the holidays is a good reason for teens to focus on their health (HHS.gov). Any time you want to get healthy take a look at these tips to help you reach your vape-free goals.
Download a free Quit Guide mobile app, make your own quit plan, find social support, receive free texts, and call 1-800-QUIT-NOW to access free support. Material is available in Spanish and Asian languages (source: CDC.gov Tobacco Campaign). Or click on the button below:
