How do teens cross the current age limit and access vaping products? What factors make them want to vape? And what are the methods to deal with the problem.?
Titled, “ How do underage adolescents access e-cigarettes in settings with minimum age sales laws? A scoping review ,” a recent study conducted by researchers from New Zealand summarized several studies related to how minors in countries with restrictive age smoking laws or vaping bans, are able to access vape products.
The comprehensive study results show that young people mainly obtain products through older friends or others (social sourcing). The researchers stress that we still don’t have the full picture of how this works, especially with intermediary purchases. Some teens also buy vapes directly from vape shops and other retail outlets, which still seems to be more popular than online purchases .
Meanwhile, experts in the field have long stressed that the most common way to illegally obtain such devices in places where they are banned or restricted is the black market. In fact, in places like Australia , where vaping regulations are among the harshest in the world, teen vaping is still on the rise and the local black market continues to thrive.
Last August, a new teen vaping panic emerged in the US when multiple news headlines reported that vapes disguised as school supplies, such as highlighters and USB sticks, were flooding in from China . Other vapes were made to look like ballpoint pens and even phones, and came in appealing fruit flavors. To the shock of many, a disposable vape brand openly sold vapes in the shape of highlighters. The High Light Vapes website says its flagship product allows you to vape “discreetly.”
Should you consider plain packaging for vapes?
A 2023 study conducted by a number of different researchers and experts in the field of harm reduction and tobacco addiction , found that young people would be less interested in vaping products if they had plain packaging.
Published in JAMA Network Open, the study, titled, “Standardized and fully branded e-cigarette packaging concerns trial of products among youth and adults in the UK,” set out to examine any possible relationship between branded and standardized vape packaging and the propensity to try products among youth and adults in the UK .
The aggregate data indicate that standardized packaging may reduce the appeal of products to potential young users seeking trial, while maintaining their appeal to adults interested in the product to quit smoking.
Coincidentally, the same week this study was published, it was reported that D66, a socially liberal political party in the Netherlands, would propose such a measure. The bill aims to make vaping less attractive to young people, and RTL Nieuws reports that it has majority support in parliament.
What motivates teens to vape?
However, while the variety of flavors attracts teens and marketing strategies make vaping products appealing, science shows that teens vape for a variety of reasons. Curiosity and experimentation are common factors, with studies showing that many teens try vaping due to peer influence.
Furthermore, behavioral studies have consistently shown that risk-taking behavior is normal in this age group, especially in certain personality types. And last but not least, the relationship between stress and nicotine consumption has also been identified. With these factors in mind, THR experts urge policymakers to address the root causes of e-cigarette use among teens and, along with the restrictions that are often put in place, to step back as to discourage the urge to try vaping.
The Science About Teen Vape Initiation and Prevention - Vape Post
