Teens Think e-Cigarettes Are Safe

Philip Copitch, Ph.D. – Author of Life's Laws For New Adults: Mastering Your Social I.Q.

In the October 2016 journal, Pediatrics, researchers evaluated the numbers from the 2012 and 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey. This cross-sectional survey of 6th to 12th grade students looked at how students perceived the harm and addictiveness of e-cigarettes. 

Inside the e-cigarette

It is documented that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are now the most commonly used tobacco product by American youth.

E-cigarettes are battery powered devices that heat a liquid containing nicotine and often a flavoring. This warm vapor is inhaled.

Teens are unaware of the dangers of e-cigarettes. 

About 3 of every 4 students believed that e-cigarettes were less dangerous than paper and tobacco cigarettes. Just under half believed that e-cigarettes were less addictive than cigarettes. 

Read the research paper.

More information: E-cigarettes and Lung Health (American Lung Association)

New images on cigarette packs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently showed of the new "warning" images that will be on all cigarette packs by the end of 2012. 


Some of the images are relatively mild:

While some are in your face gross:

The big question is "Will these warning graphics help people to stop smoking, or better yet, never start?"

The simple answer is yes.

These warning labels are product specific advertisement, and it is well documented that advertisements work. In 2006, the tobacco industry spent $12.4 billion on advertising, not to keep newspapers and magazines afloat, but to replace customers that die from their product. This 12.4 billion represents a doubling in expenditure since 1997.  Read the FTC report.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on June 21, 2011, 

Somebody said when they first saw the warnings: ‘These are really gross.' Well, they are. We want kids to understand smoking is gross, not cool. And there's really nothing pretty about having mouth cancer or making your baby sick if you smoke.

"I heard that teens aren't influenced by these scare tactics" 


Most people start smoking before age 19.  A common reason teens start to smoke is to say "screw you" to their parents, school, or authority in general. This attitude is fleeting for most teens. So over time, knowledge will  overcome anger. And advertising (warnings) take time to seep into the mind.

Smoking for teens is a statement. The more the teens see the bigger picture, the less effective their "statement" will be. 

A closing thought:

Teens are substantially more likely to smoke if one of their parents smoke. Some parents wonder if their teens learn anything from them... the simple answer is... Yes!

Want to stop... learn more?

Call: 1-800-Quit-Now or go to : www.smokefree.gov