By Blake Birenkrant, Manalapan High School
In the past, smoking used to be the norm in society for people of all ages, when its effects on health were mostly undiscovered. Today, smoking addiction, while still prevalent, has been taken over by addictions to vaping and other nicotine-related products. Teen vaping and youth nicotine use have risen sharply in recent years in New Jersey and across the United States as more students experiment with e-cigarettes and other vaping devices. These new forms of pleasure rose when it was believed that most of these non-smoking practices were safer and healthier than the traditional cigarette.
However, even as that theory has been mostly debunked by recent research and more information has come out about the health effects of vaping, addictions to these products still remain high, especially for a group at risk where the behavior takes an even higher toll: teenagers. Although most relevant in college and high school, vaping and the use of other nicotine products have become a common thing starting in middle school. The mix of peer pressure and continued beliefs about the harmless effects of them has all contributed to the rise of usage for teenagers all across the country.
Unfortunately, these products have a heavy physical and mental toll on many teenage users that will affect them for the rest of their lives. That is why it is ever more important for the public, especially teenagers, to be well versed in the dangers and harms of vaping and the usage of other products containing nicotine, as well as the prevention and support tactics that can be employed to stop the rising addictions in teenagers and help prevent teen vaping before it starts.
Before we can understand the health impacts, it is important to look at why teenagers begin vaping in the first place.
Why Do Teenagers Start Vaping? Key Reasons Behind Teen Nicotine Use
The unfortunate reality of today’s world is that there are so many external factors out there that play a role in persuading teens to start using nicotine products. Once teenagers get hooked on anything with nicotine, it becomes very challenging to stop the addiction from getting worse.
It is important that the primary causes for teenagers to begin vaping are known so that their effects and reach can be limited.
Peer Pressure
One of the most pressing issues that causes teenagers to start vaping is the abundant peer pressure that exists throughout all high schools in the country. The prospect of fitting in and not wanting to seem weird causes teens to begin habits that they didn’t want to do in the first place.
Additionally, many teenagers feel that if they don’t do the things that their friends are doing, then their friends might just completely drop them, further pushing them to have a possible addiction.
Marketing Tactics
The primary target market for many of these nicotine and vaping brands is the youth, and while the market is for users between 18 and 21 years old (depending on the state), the advertisements highly appeal to underage teenagers. The various flavors and sleek designs of the products encourage teens to begin habits of vaping and thus get addicted.
Local prevention initiatives, including the We’re Not Buying It 2.0 program, help teens learn how companies intentionally market addictive products to youth.
Health Misconceptions
The widespread belief of the past that is still prevalent today is that using nicotine products or vaping is much healthier and even harmless compared to traditional smoking. And while it is likely true that addictions to vaping aren’t as harmful as smoking addictions, many studies suggest these products are not harmless and may have certain effects that are worse than cigarettes. However, the prospect of a healthier alternative to smoking once again appeals to youth and teenagers, further contributing to the rise in usage and addictions for these products.
Understanding these influences is only the first step, because vaping has several serious physical consequences that many teens may not realize.
The Physical Impact of Vaping on Teenagers
Similar to smoking, the tolls that vaping and nicotine can take on physical health aren’t immediate and get worse with time. Understanding the true costs of vaping, especially starting as young as a teenager, is necessary for educating the youth on how vaping can harm their lives to a very high extent.
How Vaping Affects Teen Brain Development
During adolescence and teenage years, the brain is still developing to a high extent and is nowhere near fully formed yet. Consumption of nicotine disrupts the standard brain development processes, which can affect future memory, focus, and decision-making. Overall, consistent vaping and nicotine exposure at a young age can permanently alter brain chemistry, according to research on adolescent nicotine exposure and lead to possible addictions in the future.
Respiratory and Cardiovascular Problems
Although vaping doesn’t release smoke, like traditional smoking does, it does release heavy metals and toxic particles into the body. These substances can then irritate the lungs, which may cause coughing, wheezing, and inflammation. Additionally, constant consumption of nicotine can lead to increases in heart rate and blood pressure, which put an extra strain on the cardiovascular system and muscles.
How Vaping Can Lead to Other Addictive Behaviors
One of the most concerning effects of vaping, especially in teens, is that it can pave the way for other addictions, such as smoking cigarettes or using other substances or misusing stronger drugs. Vaping at such a young age can condition a teenager’s brain to seek nicotine and thus lead to using stronger forms of tobacco or drugs to satisfy these cravings. The idea of teenagers “just trying it once” is a dangerous mindset that can quickly evolve into larger addictive problems.
Along with the physical toll, vaping also affects mental and emotional health in ways that can be just as harmful for teenagers.
The Mental Impact of Vaping on Teens
While vaping sure does have its fair share of physical effects on the body, it has just as many and possibly more mental effects. These are even more apparent for teenagers who are still developing at a young age and are thus more susceptible to negative impacts on their mental health or other mental processes.
Vaping, Anxiety, and Depression in Teens
A recent study from Molecular Psychiatry has shown that there is a strong association between nicotine use and higher rates of stress and anxiety. This is mainly due to how nicotine alters the brain’s reward system and interferes with neurotransmitters like dopamine, which leads to negative effects on overall mood. Overall, teenagers who vape very often may begin to experience mood swings and lower motivation, contributing to an overall increase in depression.
Sleep and Concentration
Vaping and nicotine are drug stimulants, meaning they can have an effect on sleep patterns and alertness. Many teens who vape experience disruptions in overall sleep as well as a feeling of overtiredness, which leads to a loss in concentration. While many of these effects start small, they build up over time as teens continue to vape.
Emotional Isolation and Shame
As teenagers’ addiction to vaping and nicotine grows, so does secrecy, which has many different impacts. Teens may often hide their vaping from parents or teachers, which can lead to a sense of guilt or shame and lead to withdrawal in certain social situations that they used to be comfortable with prior to addiction. Additionally, the fear of judgment that teens can face often makes it harder to seek help, increasing feelings of loneliness and distress.
While these physical and mental effects are concerning, there are also many proven ways to help teenagers avoid or reduce vaping.
Prevention and Support Methods
It’s well known by many that vaping and nicotine use by teenagers have many negative consequences that are hard to avoid. However, the best way to reduce vaping and nicotine use and addictions in teenagers is to learn about the many ways that the behaviors can be prevented from ever occurring or to stop the habits before they get worse.
Education and Awareness
The reason many teens begin vaping or get addicted is that they don’t know the true costs of excessive nicotine usage. One of the best ways to prevent addiction in teenagers is to provide accurate information regarding the health, including mental health, risks that vaping poses.
Additionally, spreading awareness about how vaping companies intentionally target the youth and that there are plenty of support groups where teenagers can speak freely would ultimately help to alleviate the dependency that teens feel on nicotine.
Healthy Coping Strategies
Just like many other addictions, there are many strategies that teenagers can employ to take their minds off vaping and lessen their addiction. Some examples of coping tools applicable to teens include exercise and sports, mindfulness practices, creative hobbies, and social support. All of these and more can help to stop addictions in teenagers or even prevent them in the first place.
Resources for Quitting
Quitting an addiction, especially for teenagers who vape, can be extremely difficult, as their undeveloped brains and dependence on nicotine both play a role in harming teens. However, many helpful resources and tools exist that are easily accessible to teens to assist them in stopping their addictions. Some of these include teen quitlines/hotlines, school counselors and therapists, addiction-quitting apps and text-support services, and more.
Parental and Community Involvement
Many addictions, such as vaping, can develop when people either feel alone or depressed, which is why having active parental and community involvement is so critical in preventing nicotine addictions in teenagers. When teens have access to parents, teachers, coaches, and others, they are able to talk more openly about any problems, and adults can provide clear expectations and boundaries to help guide teens in a positive direction. Overall, a connected community helps to foster positive habits in teenagers and prevent any negative ones, such as nicotine.
Taken together, these risks highlight why vaping among teenagers has become such an urgent issue.
The usage of nicotine products, specifically vaping, can become an addictive habit for anyone who begins using them, especially teenagers. What starts as a “healthier addiction” than smoking can quickly become just as bad due to the many physical and mental strains that vaping can have. Unfortunately, vaping and nicotine culture have become very popular in high schools and among teenagers all across the nation. This is why it is ever more important to spread awareness about the dangers of vaping, especially at such a young age. Teaching teenagers about the health implications of vaping addictions can have, as well as different prevention methods that can be used by both teens and adults, is the best possible way to limit the amount of vaping in teenagers and thus help the current youth live healthy lives in the future.