A lot has been said about preventing adolescents from using e-cigarettes, but not much has been done to show why these young people are more prone to getting addicted to nicotine when they start vaping. The US Surgeon General has published a summary of the unique risks that adolescents face when they take up vaping. Of special interest is the fact that these young people form brain synapses (connections between brain cells) much faster than adults do. The adolescent is therefore more likely to become addicted much sooner than an adult who vapes at the same level and frequency as an adolescent.
The publication also delves into other risks that adolescents face once they take up vaping. Everyone with children should take this information seriously and find ways to dissuade his or her adolescent children from taking up the habit, until at least the age of 25 when brain development has peaked. Only then will that individual be protected from any adverse effects that could result from taking on the habit of using electronic cigarettes at such an early stage in one’s life.