Nationally in the United States, about 6% of middle and high school students reported having used electronic cigarettes in 2024. This figure translates to approximately 1.63 million young people, although a decrease has been observed compared to previous years.

Vaping has been associated with respiratory problems such as coughs and asthma. Specialists warn that adolescents who vape may experience a deterioration in their physical performance and greater difficulty performing sports activities.

Additionally, nicotine addiction represents one of the biggest risks. Doctors emphasize that the adolescent brain is especially susceptible to addiction, influencing attention and mood.

Although there are plenty of arguments, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the sale and consumption of flavored electronic cigarettes, with which doctors are worried about a possible resurgence of vaping among young people and parents are left tied and confused before their children to explain to them about the harms involved in smoking.

FDA Rationale

The FDA announced the first authorization for fruit-flavored electronic cigarettes aimed at adults interested in quitting smoking or reducing consumption of traditional, more harmful cigarettes, recalls the Associated Press (AP).

The question remains when this policy change came after months of petitions from the vaping industry to President Donald Trump.

However, the FDA said in a memo that these fruit-flavored e-cigarettes are not significantly more effective than tobacco-flavored ones in helping smokers quit.

Talk to teens about vaping

“I understand the goal of offering adult smokers a less harmful alternative, but fruity and sweet flavors are precisely what appeal to young people,” said Dr. Scott Hadland, of Brigham General Hospital for Children and Harvard Medical School. “I am concerned that this could undermine the hard-won progress that has reduced teen vaping to its lowest level in about a decade,” AP reports.

Experts say there are ways parents can counter the appeal of e-cigarettes, teach their children about the dangers of vaping and help them quit smoking.

Arming young people with facts about the health effects of vaping is important. Information is considered more effective than simply limiting access.

Studies show that adolescents who vape have higher rates of wheezing, difficulty breathing, and a reduced ability to tolerate exercise. Among the respiratory problems caused by vaping, we can mention worsening asthma, bronchitis and more serious types of lung disease.

Dangers of vaping in children

Consider that while e-cigarette aerosol does not contain most of the 7,000 chemicals present in tobacco smoke, most vaporizers emit numerous potentially toxic substances, according to a comprehensive 2018 consensus report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Researchers point out that the long-term health effects of electronic cigarettes are still not known with certainty.

However, one of the biggest dangers of vaping is nicotine addiction, which can disrupt brain development and affect attention, learning and mood.

“The addiction factor can't be overemphasized,” says Dr. Devika Rao of Children's Health in Dallas. “Teenager brains are predisposed to addiction.”

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