Vaping has been in the spotlight these past few weeks, with scandals and legislative proposals ensuring that vaping products are being addressed. Despite the focus on some recent deaths caused by illicit vaping products, not enough attention is being paid to the myriad of ways that vaping is bad for teenagers.
Here’s a breakdown of recent vape-related news, and why teenagers should be cautious about consuming vaping products of any sort.
Vaping was intended as an alternative to smoking
More than anything else, vaping was intended as an alternative to smoking. For the most part, vape products were meant to alleviate the stress that regular tobacco users experience when they attempt to quit smoking for good.
Vaping products were a stepping stone, then, a middle passage between smoking harmful tobacco and refusing to smoke anything at all. In the time since, however, things have changed for the worse.
Vaping is now a hobby and practice in its own right, with literally millions of consumers around the world purchasing vaping products despite the fact that they’ve never purchased or smoked a tobacco product. This is especially the case among teenagers, many of whom have adopted vaping as a popular social trend without ever being interested in cigarettes in the first place.
According to the CDC, vaping has recently surged to more than 1 in 4 high school students across the United States. Despite the fact that teenagers love vaping, it could very well be costing them big time when it comes to long-term health effects.
Vaping isn’t healthy for you
Many people like to note that vaping is healthier than smoking tobacco, and while this is certainly true, it’s equally important to remember that “being healthier than tobacco” and “being healthy” are two entirely different things.
Vaping is simply not healthy for the human body, especially for teenagers who are in an important stage of physical and emotional growth that will impact the remainder of their lives.
Companies like Hot Juice produce vaping products that are intended for an adult audience, so when youngsters rely on these goods they may be causing serious damage to their lungs and development.
As the CDC’s official webpage reminds us, e-cig aerosol can contain volatile organic compounds, cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals, unhealthy flavoring products, and nicotine. For those whose brains are still developing in particular, relying on vaping can permanently stunt one’s growth.
Parents trying to convince teenagers to ditch the habit may thus find it helpful to remind them that vaping will ensure they never reach a certain height or level of physical fitness they desire.
Vaping was intended to help smokers quit tobacco, but these days it’s leading more and more teenagers into unhealthy lifestyles that will mitigate their full potential.
