What Parents Should Know About Teen Vaping

Talking to your child about the health risks of vaping may keep them from picking up the habit, or it might encourage them to quit. 

“For most teenagers, vaping is their first experience with smoking,” said Mariam Torossian, MD, a pulmonologist at Cedars-Sinai Pulmonary Medicine in Beverly Hills, “and about 80% of people who smoke at that age go on to continue smoking.” 

More than 1.6 million preteens and teens vape, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Why do they do it? According to a study in the journal Pediatrics, which surveyed more than 28,000 middle and high school students, the most common reasons that teens gave were: to relax, to experiment, because of boredom and because it tastes good.

Many teens start because their friends are doing it. They’re also influenced by social media, where videos show people doing cool-looking tricks with the vape clouds they exhale.

The pleasant taste of chocolate, strawberry, mint or piña colada aerosol vapor is another draw.

“The flavors are appealing because it tastes good, and tobacco itself doesn’t taste good naturally,” said Irina Dralyuk, MD, a pediatric pulmonologist at Cedars-Sinai Children’s Health Center. “Most 10-and 12-year-olds don’t like the taste of alcohol or tobacco. What they like are the side effects.” 

A False Sense of Security 

Many teens believe that vaping is less harmful than smoking. In fact, the opposite is true. Vaping devices heat a liquid containing nicotine and other chemicals, and inhaling brings aerosolized vapor into the lungs. 

“It’s more harmful, more addictive,” Dralyuk said. “You have an electronic device that heats things up to a very high temperature, you inhale it immediately and the smoke goes to your lungs. Heat is not good for lung tissue, and many chemicals are carcinogenic.” 

For most teenagers, vaping is their first experience with smoking, and about 80% of people who smoke at that age go on to continue smoking.

The vapor itself contains substances that shouldn’t be introduced to the lungs, including heavy metals such as nickel, chromium and lead. 

“The vapor isn’t like steam from a boiling kettle. It’s a toxic substance that is being suspended into the air,” said Derek Corpus, MD, a pediatric pulmonologist at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s. “It’s like the cloud that’s emitted from aerosol deodorant or hair spray, but without the chemical smell. The idea of breathing in metal should make someone say, ‘That doesn’t make sense. That doesn’t belong in my airway.’”

Vaping has the potential to cause short-term and long-term lung damage. 

“A serious condition that can arise is EVALI: e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury,” said Jennifer Gutierrez-Wu, MD, a pediatrician with Cedars-Sinai Medical Group at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's Pediatrics in Beverly Hills. “The lungs become damaged from some of the chemicals, which causes shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, fever, chills, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and respiratory distress.” 

Originally, e-cigarettes looked like traditional cigarettes, and they were intended to help adults quit smoking. In recent years, vaping devices have become more appealing to teens.  

“Devices look like pieces of technology, which takes away from the negative connotations that people have toward traditional cigarettes,” Gutierrez-Wu said.  

How to Tell If Your Child Is Vaping 

Many vape devices look like tech gadgets or everyday items: USB thumb drives, highlighter pens, lipstick tubes and other objects that don’t stand out the way that a pack of cigarettes would.  

They can easily escape your attention unless you familiarize yourself with their look.  

“Go online and look at pictures of the devices, so you start to realize how subtle these things are,” Dralyuk said.  

Periodically look through your child’s things. 

“If you’ve got a 12-year-old that you think might be doing things that are unhealthy for them, clean their room and keep an eye out for these devices,” Dralyuk said. “Check pockets, backpacks and closets.” 

Signs that a child or teen is vaping are more subtle. They might smell slightly fruity and/or have a drop in academic performance. 

“Other signs might be bloodshot eyes, having a dry mouth or being dehydrated—so drinking more—but those things are subtle and nonspecific,” Gutierrez-Wu said. “Vaping can cause some nosebleeds, because of the dryness associated with it. It can also cause coughing or mouth sores.” 

Sometimes, a young person may start wearing very strong scents to mask any vaping-related odors. 

“It can be very subtle, like wearing more deodorant than usual, so the smell is very intense,” Corpus said. “Maybe they’re chewing a lot of gum or eating intensely flavored foods, like Takis.” 

Talking to your child about vaping may help. Try to have open, nonjudgmental conversations. Ask what they know about vaping or if anyone they know vapes. Tell them about the health risks. 

“There’s a risk of developing recurrent bronchitis, asthma or an allergic reaction in your lungs,” Torossian said. “Your brain is not fully formed until the age of 25, so if you’re using nicotine before that age, it will affect your ability to think clearly, to concentrate and to make good decisions.” 

The goal: Make vaping sound like a bad idea. 

“Explain things to them so they decide they don’t want to do it,” Dralyuk said. “When they’re older, they’ll break curfew to rebel, but they won’t want to vape because it’s disgusting.” 

What to Do If Your Child Vapes 

Stay calm if your child admits to vaping. Don’t yell, punish them or forbid them to see friends who vape, which may encourage secrecy. 

“Parents shouldn’t be shocked that their ‘perfect’ child is doing it,” Dralyuk said. “They’re curious if their peers are doing it. Don’t get mad at the kid. Get mad at the people who marketed this to kids.” 

Find out why your child vapes, so that you can support them if they’re open to quitting. 

“In the Pediatrics study that came out last year, nearly half of adolescents who vaped reported doing so to relax and relieve tension,” Gutierrez-Wu said. “That’s really important, because they’re vaping for a reason. Are they stressed out? Are they having anxiety or a mood disorder? What’s going on in their life?” 

Suggest nicotine-free ways that your child can relax, like drawing or listening to music, which won’t lead to addiction. 

“If they say, ‘Vaping made me feel super-relaxed,’ that’s a slippery slope,” Corpus said. “You feel relaxed. Then you get the withdrawal and get super-anxious. You need to do it again to feel relaxed. It goes back and forth, feeding into each other.” 

How to Help Your Child Stop Vaping 

If your child is open to quitting and you need resources, start with your pediatrician. They may be able to help, or they may refer you to a pulmonologist or a therapist who specializes in addiction medicine.  

Dralyuk offers a vaping clinic to adolescents. 

“I spend a lot of time with them building an individualized program,” Dralyuk said. “It’s like quitting anything: People who try quitting without a plan usually relapse. You need somebody to work with you on a plan and to dig through the psychological issues that are involved in quitting.” 

To schedule an appointment with Dralyuk’s vaping clinic, call 310-423-7779 or 310-423-4433.