Can Children Use E-Cigarettes?

Recently, a video has been circulating on social media: a street magician transforms a vaping device into a cigarette right before a live audience.
 
In fact, this was the first TV ad released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at the end of July to prevent youth smoking.

According to FDA data, the number of young e-cigarette users in the United States doubled over the past year. About 1.5 million U.S. high school students used e-cigarettes, and by 2018, more than 3.6 million middle and high school students were using them.

According to data released by the FDA on November 15, 2018, about two-thirds (67.8%) of children aged 12 to 17 in the United States had used e-cigarettes. Teenagers are becoming a major user group for e-cigarettes worldwide.

However, the same scene is also playing out in China.

Recently, media outlets in Guiyang's Guanshanhu District in Guizhou Province, Xiamen in Fujian Province, Weifang in Shandong Province, Xiangjiang Road in Huangdao District of Qingdao, Danzhou in Hainan Province, Guilin in Guangxi, Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, Zhengzhou in Henan Province, Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province, and other places reported that local elementary and middle school shops were selling large quantities of e-cigarettes to students.

According to reports from local TV stations in Hebei, Shanxi, and other areas, in May this year a small shop at the entrance of an elementary school in Handan, Hebei Province, was selling e-cigarettes to students. In March this year, students were also found buying e-cigarettes from a shop at the entrance of an elementary school in Changzhi, Shanxi Province.

Today, e-cigarettes can be seen everywhere. In addition to small shops outside school gates, even stationery stores are selling e-cigarettes to students. In November 2018, some vendors near the South China Botanical Garden in Guangzhou sold fruit-flavored e-cigarettes to minors under the name of "toys."

In a statement, then-FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said that although e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, most still contain nicotine, which can not only addict teenagers but also harm their brain development. In the United States, consumers must be at least 18 years old to purchase these products.

In this regard, teenagers should stay alert and avoid using e-cigarettes as a substitute for cigarettes. Relevant authorities should take steps to protect minors and strengthen oversight of the e-cigarette industry.