Vaping continues to rise in popularity and depending on what age bracket you fit in, the appeal seems to be quite different.
For most people 35 and older, vaping is often used as a means to either quit smoking or as a safer alternative to the traditional tobacco cigarette.
However, for those younger than 35, such as myself, vaping is often tried without any prior cigarette use.
This is an interesting phenomenon because most of us in this age bracket have heard about the dangers of nicotine addiction through cigarette smoking ever since we were in elementary school, and while vaping is slightly different, one would assume that the warnings about nicotine addiction would translate over to vaping.
However, for most young users, this hasn’t been the case.
This could be because the direst of the warnings heavily emphasized the danger of tobacco smoke and the lung problems it brings, and emphasized the danger of nicotine addiction to a lesser extent.
This most likely helped open the door for vaping to become the growing cultural trend that it is –a cultural trend that is attracting more younger users every day.
And don’t think these younger users are stereotypical delinquents. The kids who vape are about as diverse as the multitude of vapes themselves – male, female, jock, geek, honor roll student or someone who averages C’s. The “vaper” label crosses all tribes.
The growing cultural trend toward vaping at a young age is easier to understood when you take the time to examine it a little further.
For example, when you look at an e-cigarette or a JUUL, you will notice how interesting it looks. Many are colorful and have a sleek metallic design that resembles a flash drive.
They are heavily marketed through social media. This includes popular memes and endorsement by social media personalities. Like the old-school cigarette commercials, social media advertisements often depict these e-cigarettes in modern settings with stylish young models using them. The vape itself looks like a new accessory.
Vaping is becoming a social activity for teens, another boost to making it a cultural trend.
Teens share different flavors and try different devices.
An indirect form of peer pressure also comes into the mix. Vaping is viewed as normal by so many that those who do not participate are considered abnormal. Younger vapers get together to vape after work, during a break or secretly at school.
Despite its popularity, vaping has raised health concerns.
For one, these devices are not regulated, and we don’t really know what’s in them. We do know, however, that nicotine has adverse side effects, and new evidence suggests vaping could be causing a form of popcorn lung – a condition that damages the lungs’ small airways, causing coughing and shortness of breath.
I think it’s time to start a new cultural movement where we encourage people to stop vaping until its side effects are fully known or it is proven to be safe.
Our nation’s young people don’t need to be a walking science experiment.
It took years to realize the consequences of cigarette smoke, so let’s not let that happen with vaping.
Keep it in the lab until the long-term effects are proven.
