Electronic cigarettes, a danger to young people

By, Chau Nisa

One of the common bad habits of young people today is smoking e-cigarettes. Although it may seem harmless behavior, this behaviour carries numerous alarming risks. The trend of e-cigarettes or new-generation cigarettes is negatively affecting the behavior, lifestyle, and health of adolescents – an age characterized by curiosity, inquisitiveness, and a desire to explore. Many young people consider using e-cigarettes as a way to express their personality and style, or simply as a form of entertainment.

Concerns have been raised about the rise in e-cigarette and heated tobacco product usage among young people. According to data from the Ministry of Health, the rate of e-cigarette use among students aged 13 to 15 has significantly increased over the past two years, rising from 3.5 percent in 2022 to 8.0 percent in 2023. E-cigarette use is particularly high among the younger age group of 15 to 24 years, with a rate of 7.3%. In contrast, the usage rate drops to 3.2% for the 25 to 44 age group and to 1.4 percent for those aged 45 to 64.

In the United States, e-cigarette usage among high school students surged from 11.7 percent to 27.5 percent between 2017 and 2019, Additionally, among middle school students, the rate rose from 3.3 percent to 10.5 percent. In the United Kingdom, e-cigarette use among 15-year-old girls increased from 10 percent in 2018 to 21 percent in 2021.

An e-cigarette is a battery-powered device that heats a liquid solution typically containing nicotine, turning it into a vapor and aromatic smoke that the smoker can inhale into the lungs. E-cigarettes are designed in a variety of eye-catching shapes: they can look like a traditional cigarette or like a pen, a flash drive, or lipstick. Most modern e-cigarette models use cartridges filled with liquid—either disposable ones or those that can be refilled for continued use. Additionally, some users add drug ingredients in liquid form to enhance their experience.

According to World Health Organization, there are currently about 20,000 types of flavorings for e-cigarettes, many of which have not been thoroughly evaluated for their potential health risks, leading to unpredictable consequences, especially for students. The novelty of e-cigarettes, with their appealing flavors, combined with marketing that portrays them as harmless and part of a “healthy smoking culture” has hit the psychology of self-expression among today’s young generation.

Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine; a highly addictive substance that causes nicotine addiction and other risks including heart disease, lung disease, heart failure, stroke, and many other diseases. There have been numerous cases where individuals have been rushed to the emergency room due to symptoms like excitement, psychosis, hallucinations, or respiratory failure caused by poisoning from substances found in e-cigarettes. Additionally, new-generation tobacco products utilize batteries to heat and create vapor, increasing the risk of burns and other accidents, including explosions from faulty or improperly used charging devices. Notably, when children are in their teens, due to their developing physical condition, they are more likely to cause harm than adults. More dangerously, this age group has a curious mentality, so they are more likely to get stuck. The long-term consequences may include cognitive impairments, emotional disturbances, and mental disorders, with a significant decline in learning ability being one of the most concerning effects.

Due to the serious harm of new tobacco products to health, especially the young generation, we must resolutely say no to cigarettes and e-cigarettes. To limit the use of e-cigarettes among young people, especially school-age children, the role of the family is significant, parents need to pay more attention to their children. In addition, the educational role of schools is also an important factor in preventing school-age children from being drawn into bad habits and social evils. In addition to equipping students with knowledge about how to avoid and the harmful effects of using addictive substances, schools need to organize extracurricular activities to relieve stress after school hours. At the same time, create healthy and useful playgrounds to attract students to participate, and stay away from cigarettes and other unhealthy pleasures.***