The usage of e-cigarettes has been an epidemic that has affected teens worldwide, but have you ever wondered what motivates teens to start vaping? Many would say it’s because of stress, boredom, and peer pressure, but these reasons often get ignored, driving e-cigarette companies to attract younger audiences through their clever marketing campaigns.

Many vaping companies have advertised their products by placing ads on television, streaming services, or on social media, with three in four students who have reported witnessing e-cigarette-related posts.

E-cigarette ads are usually very colorful, featuring eye-catching visuals and creative art styles that often include cartoon characters, graffiti-inspired designs, or fruits and desserts to highlight the fun and enticing flavors e-cigarettes offer. Sometimes these ads will feature social media influencers and celebrities that normalize vaping and encourage their younger audiences who favor them to start vaping. 

Chris Brown and Mike Tyson are both celebrities who are highly respected in the entertainment industry and have both contributed to the youth vaping epidemic with their own branded e-cigarette vaping lines and use their status and popularity to convince younger fans to buy their products.

With vaping ads having a presence on social media, teens are getting exposed to this type of content that often misleads them, with vaping being something that’s “trendy” and portrayed as a healthier alternative compared to traditional smoking.

Vaping was originally made to be a tool that was aimed to help traditional smokers quit and was conceived to be a safer alternative, but was later proven to be a myth through extensive research that showed that vapes include nicotine and other harmful substances like Diacetyl that can contribute to “Popcorn Lung”.

“Popcorn Lung” is a nickname for Bronchiolitis Obliterans that can cause permanent damage to your health by scarring small air sacs in the lungs that could lead to coughing and shortness of breath.

Other negative side effects caused by vaping are increased risks of developing lung and oral cancer, disrupting brain development, especially in teens, and increasing the risk of addiction to other drugs.

Some vaping companies have been called out for this misleading information, including JUUL, a popular e-cigarette company, which was issued a warning letter from the U.S Food and Drug Administration for illegally marketing their e-cigarettes as less harmful than tobacco cigarettes.

Not only do e-cigarette companies design their products with child-like themes to further the interest of vaping among teens, but they also use targeted marketing and flavors that appeal directly to youth. Multiple e-cigarette companies, such as JUUL, Vuse, and Highlight Vape, are designing their products to resemble everyday objects, including USB Drives and school supplies. 

This makes it easier for teens to hide their vaping devices from their parents and can make it easier to bring them to school, where students tend to share their vapes with their peers in the school bathroom.

Image source: Minnesota Department of Health

Even though e-cigarettes are meant to be for adults, it’s clear that these companies specifically target teens and take advantage of their misfortunes, curiosity, and vulnerabilities to keep them in a cycle of addiction. Their manipulative marketing has caused vaping to become socially acceptable, where it’s seen as part of everyday life. 

This cycle of addiction promises these companies more profit that motivates them to exploit teen health, which is why we need to hold these companies more accountable and provide stricter regulations that can protect teens.