According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), youth vaping remains a significant issue in the United States. Moreover, the fuel behind vaping is a mix of flavored products, disposable devices, and teen-friendly advertising. By making e-cigarettes attractive to adolescents and teenagers, the vaping industry continues to reel in profits.

As a provider of youth treatment services, Tarzana Treatment Centers understands the need to address this issue. Within the TTC substance use disorders (SUD) treatment program for youth, we see vaping as a gateway drug that leads to harder drugs. With THC and marijuana vaping widely available, nicotine vaping often opens the door to this further abuse.

Youth Vaping and the CDC-FDA Study

A combined effort of the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the study is entitled Notes from the Field: E-cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students. Focusing on e-cigarette use in 2022, the study also examines the history of vaping. Since 2014, the most common form of nicotine intake devices by high school and middle school students has been e-cigarettes. Self-administered and self-purchased in most cases, e-cigarettes defy the bans that work with tobacco cigarettes.

According to the study authors, most youths see vaping as non-harmful. When parents and teachers raise the alarm about youth vaping, most teenagers ignore the flashing red lights. Following peer pressure, they refuse to believe in the dangers of youth vaping. Indeed, resistance by teens and adolescents to the risks of youth vaping remains surprisingly entrenched.

The Statistics of Youth Vaping 2022

According to the study, “In 2022, 2.55 million U.S. middle and high school students currently used e-cigarettes. Most reported using flavored products, and, among those students, approximately seven of 10 used fruit flavors. Disposable products were the most commonly reported device type. Further, among middle and high school students who used e-cigarettes, approximately four in 10 reported frequent use, and approximately one in four reported daily use.”

Given these statistics, parents and educators must take constructive action. Youths need to understand the manipulative selling techniques of vaping companies. By revealing these tactics to youth, their resistant stance shifts. TTC understands the challenge well when it comes to changing habitual patterns in young people. However, the cost is too high not to make a concerted effort.

A Clear Response to Youth Vaping and E-Cigarettes

Brian King, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, explains, “Adolescent e-cigarette use in the United States remains at concerning levels, and poses a serious public health risk to our nation’s youth. Together with the CDC, protecting our nation’s youth from the dangers of tobacco products—including e-cigarettes—remains among the FDA’s highest priorities, and we are committed to combatting this issue with the breadth of our regulatory authorities.”