According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately one-third of high school students in 2019 vaped, and 11% vaped more than 20 days in a month. Although marketed as a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes, youth who vape are more likely to start smoking cigarettes. Nicotine was found in 99% of the vape products sold in one CDC study, including products that claimed to have no nicotine.

The brains of adolescents continue to develop until about age 25 and nicotine can have harmful effects on abilities to learn, control impulse and attention. Vaping aerosols also include dangerous chemicals, such as heavy metals, cancer-causing chemicals, and ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs. Scientists continue to study the long-term impacts of vaping. Youth vaping has also been linked with worse outcomes of COVID-19 infection.

Find resources that can help you or someone you know need help to stop vaping: