Why Vaping and Teens Matters, Explained Simply

E-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco product among US youth since 2014, and nicotine can harm the developing brain, which keeps maturing until about age 25.

Key takeaways

• Legal age to buy tobacco products, including e-cigarettes: 21 nationwide
• Nicotine content: most e-cigarettes contain it, including some labeled nicotine-free
• Most useful single change: Talk with teens early and calmly, and ask what they know rather than lecturing.
• Commonest mistake: Assuming flavored or "nicotine-free" products are harmless.
• See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.

The short answer

Using e-cigarettes and other vaping devices, which heat a liquid, usually containing nicotine, into an aerosol that is inhaled.

Where it fits

This is part of Teen Health. Below: the numbers first, then what to do with them.

The numbers, in one place

What that means in practice

In everyday terms:

• Talk with teens early and calmly, and ask what they know rather than lecturing
• Help a teen who vapes make a quit plan with a quit date and strategies for cravings
• Ask your teen's doctor about quit support; counseling and text-message programs are available for teens
• Store e-liquids and devices locked away from children and pets

What gets people into trouble

Where people most often come unstuck:

• Assuming flavored or "nicotine-free" products are harmless
• Vaping THC products, especially from informal or illicit sources
• Vaping around younger children

Related topics

• What the Guidance Really Says About Vaping and E-Cigarettes (Substance Use and Recovery)
• The Evidence on Stopping Smoking, Without the Hype (Preventive Care)
• Smoking and the Lungs: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise (Respiratory Health)
• Smoking and the Heart: What Published Guidance Supports (Heart Health)

Where to go next

• Popular Beliefs About Vaping and Teens, and What Is Actually Published
• The First Steps With Vaping and Teens
• Vaping and Teens — the reference entry
• Teen Health: The Complete Guide
• Teen Mental Health and 988: What Published Guidance Supports
• Social Media and Teens: What the Evidence Actually Says

When to speak to a doctor

See your doctor for a cough, wheezing or shortness of breath in a teen who vapes, or for help quitting. Call 911 for chest pain or trouble breathing, and call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 right away if a child swallows or spills e-liquid on the skin.

Where this comes from

• CDC — Youth and E-Cigarettes
• FDA — Tobacco 21
• National Institute on Drug Abuse — Vaping Devices (Electronic Cigarettes) DrugFacts

How this page was put together

Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.

Medical disclaimer

This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.