When Ricky Resendez began using e-cigarettes during his eighth-grade year, the habit quickly escalated to daily use throughout high school.
“It was just kind of normal,” explained Ricky, now 17 and a recent graduate from Superior, Wisconsin. “Kids were vaping in class, in the bathrooms, wherever.”
Federal statistics reveal that approximately 6% of middle and high school students nationwide — totaling 1.63 million young people — reported electronic cigarette use in 2024. While this represents a decline from earlier years, e-cigarettes continue to be the top tobacco product choice among teenagers, with nearly 9 out of 10 youth selecting flavored varieties.
Medical professionals express concern that youth vaping numbers could climb again following the Food and Drug Administration’s recent approval of the first fruit-flavored vapes designed for adults seeking to quit or reduce traditional cigarette use. This policy change followed months of vaping industry appeals to President Donald Trump. An FDA document released this week indicated these fruit-flavored e-cigarettes show no significant advantage over tobacco-flavored versions in helping smokers quit.
“I understand the goal of giving adult smokers a less harmful off-ramp, but fruit and sweet flavors are precisely what draw young people in,” stated Dr. Scott Hadland at Mass General Brigham for Children and Harvard Medical School. “I worry this could erode the hard-won progress that brought teen vaping to its lowest level in roughly a decade.”
Medical professionals say parents have effective methods to combat e-cigarette appeal, educate children about vaping risks, and support quitting efforts.
Dr. Devika Rao regularly treats young patients with vaping-related breathing issues, including persistent coughing, aggravated asthma, bronchitis, and more serious lung conditions.
Research indicates teenagers who vape experience increased wheezing, breathing difficulties, and decreased exercise tolerance. Gaby Cuadra from Miami, who vaped for nine years beginning at 15, recalls how the habit damaged her high school track and field abilities.
“As the years kept going on and I would keep vaping, the distances that I used to be able to run, I, like, couldn’t do them anymore,” said Cuandra, now 25. “I would run out of breath.”
Although e-cigarette vapor lacks most of the 7,000 chemicals found in tobacco smoke, the majority of vapes “emit numerous potentially toxic substances,” according to a thorough 2018 consensus report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Scientists noted that e-cigarettes’ long-term health impacts remain unclear.
Nicotine addiction represents one of vaping’s most serious risks, potentially disrupting developing brains and impacting attention, learning, and emotional regulation.
“The addiction factor cannot be overstated enough,” emphasized Rao at Children’s Health in Dallas. “Adolescent brains are primed for addiction.”
Medical professionals recommend beginning with questions. Parents might introduce the topic by mentioning a new vape shop they’ve noticed.
“Start open-ended conversations,” Rao advised.
Inquire about your child’s vaping knowledge and understanding of its dangers, whether they’ve encountered e-cigarettes, and if their peers use them.
If you discover your child is already vaping, Rao stressed staying calm and avoiding shouting. Maintain a non-judgmental approach.
Consider your child’s social media exposure, where some influencers promote nicotine as a “hack” for managing stress. Research shows many people mistake the relief of nicotine withdrawal symptoms for genuine stress or anxiety reduction, and that cessation actually decreases stress. A 2025 study in the journal Tobacco Control found vaping may connect to negative mental health outcomes, with those who quit experiencing “fewer urges to vape, reduced anxiety, and stabilized mood.”
Teen choices often depend on peer influence and social acceptance, noted Anthony Alberg of the University of South Carolina, who served on the expert committee creating the National Academies vaping report. Remind your teenager they can resist peer pressure and that genuine friends won’t base friendship on vaping participation.
Younger children, Alberg suggested, might respond better to health-focused arguments, such as describing vaping as “putting poison in your system.”
Providing children with information proves more effective than simply restricting vape access, experts noted, since age limits frequently fail to prevent youth acquisition.
“Most teens get e-cigarettes from friends, older peers or online sellers rather than buying them in a store,” Hadland explained.
Ricky initially tried e-cigarettes using his older cousin’s device. Subsequently, an older friend purchased e-cigarettes for him and his peer group. He especially enjoyed blue raspberry, strawberry, watermelon, and kiwi flavors.
Initially, he believed vaping assisted with his ADHD symptoms.
“What I didn’t realize is that because I was addicted to nicotine, when I didn’t have it, I’d be anxious and really couldn’t focus,” he explained. “Instead of being something that helped me, it just made things worse.”
Vaping also depleted his energy, disrupted his sleep, aggravated his asthma, and hindered his football and wrestling performance.
Eventually, school and parental consequences followed his vaping and selling vapes to classmates. He began working with a school social worker and participated in the American Lung Association’s Not On Tobacco program for teen cessation.
The initial weeks proved extremely challenging. However, he gradually reduced his vaping thoughts and permanently quit in 2022.
Similar to Ricky’s experience, research shows most middle and high school vaping students desire to quit.
Parents can assist by first consulting their doctor, who can arrange counseling or free text-based quit programs for young people.
For heavy vaping youth, Hadland noted doctors might consider medications like Chantix or nicotine replacement therapy within supervised cessation plans.
Cuandra quit after abandoning e-cigarettes for Lent, supported by a free program created by Truth Initiative and Mayo Clinic called EX, which offers text message support, guidance, and encouragement.
“The best thing I ever did for myself was quit vaping,” said Cuandra, who now shares her experience on social media.
Since abandoning vaping, Ricky also shares his lessons learned. Typically, he asks peers about their vaping triggers and avoidance strategies, as he practiced.
“I tell them, like, ‘I’m not here to judge you,’” he said. “‘I’m here to help you.’”
