What’s Really Going On

Vaping often begins for different reasons at different ages.

• In middle school, curiosity is a common reason. Students may see devices online, hear about them from others, or want to understand what vaping is without fully knowing the risks.
• In high school, many students say they try vaping because friends are using it and it feels socially accepted or normal.

Why Do Some Teens Keep Using Vapes?

• For many teens, vaping can become a way to cope with emotions.

• Some students say they continue vaping because they are feeling anxious, stressed, overwhelmed, or depressed.

• Nicotine can temporarily change how the brain feels, which can make quitting harder—even when someone wants to stop.

Social media can make vaping look normal, fun, or low-risk. Posts often leave out the health effects, addiction risks, or struggles to quit, which can create a misleading picture — especially for teens.

• Using vapes in adolescence can harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control.
• The aerosol in vapes can irritate your lungs, throat and eyes. It can also make it more likely that you’ll catch colds or get the flu.
• Vape aerosol can contain nicotine, heavy metals, and chemicals that irritate the lungs and airways.