Emma Schaible/Fourth Estate
How e-cigarettes are endangering the youth
BY JAMIE GHOLSON, CULTURE EDITOR
As the clock struck zero signifying the beginning of a new year, people cheered around LA’s famous “Smoking Deaths” billboard. The number of people on the board who died from smoking in 2024 was set back to zero. According to the CDC, 480,000 Americans die due to smoking each year.
In the Generation Z era, electronic cigarettes, or vapes, have emerged as one of the most pressing public health issues in today’s society. Advertised to be a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes, vaping has infested millions of lives, especially teenagers, to what can only be reported as one of the major public health crises of our generation. The statistics are outrageous, the consequences are drastic, and the need for action has reached an all-time high.
According to Steven Zauderer from Cross River Therapy, 1 in 20 Americans vape with the teenager e-cigarette consumption rate increasing by 1,800% over the last year. Over 2.14 million high school students and 380,000 middle schoolers have reported using e-cigarettes. This is an alarming epidemic that takes advantage of younger generations.
In 2021, there were 55 million e-cigarette users worldwide. Statista reported that companies in the United States alone generated $8.827 million in revenue in 2024.
What makes vaping so dangerous is the nicotine found inside and the health consequences as a result of smoking nicotine. According to NIH, at 200 puffs, 14.4-32.8 mg of nicotine per pod is equivalent to smoking 13-30 cigarettes. Vapes can cause strong dependencies in newly developing brains, making it harder for younger individuals to have the ability to stop and potentially leading to a lifelong path of dependency and addiction.
However, the risks are beyond just the usage of addiction. Since the introduction of e-cigarettes in the United States in 2006, the health issues involved in vaping include asthma, lung scarring, organ damage, cancer, inflammation in the lungs, and a condition known as EVALI (E-cigarette or Vaping Use-Associated Lung Injury).
EVALI is a serious lung condition that causes extensive damage to an individual’s lungs causing symptoms like shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, and, in some cases, can be fatal.
One of the most concerning aspects of e-cigarettes is the interest from younger demographics. The marketing for these products includes innovative designs, fruity flavors, and alluding to people that vaping is harmless.
Social media platforms are trying to normalize e-cigarette usage, enhancing its appeal and submerging it into youth culture, trying to make it seem ‘cool.’ The result of this innocuous marketing damages young adults with illness and a lifelong addiction.
Policymakers need to enforce more regulations on e-cigarette advertisements, particularly those targeting minors.
While local communities and schools educate students on the harmful consequences of smoking nicotine and chewing tobacco, they aren’t doing an extensive job of it. After all, millions of high schoolers and middle schoolers vape.
It’s not about individual choice but rather the need for societal change and a collective call to action from the public. Allowing this health epidemic to carry on unchecked should not be an option. We owe it to younger generations to provide a future without risk for their health.
