Vaping and nicotine addiction in young people can be challenging. The information below is designed to help you understand the harms of vaping and recognise signs of nicotine addiction in your young person. It also provides information to support and navigate this issue.
Vapes (e-cigarettes) contain harmful chemicals. NSW Health has tested vapes used by young people and found that they contain high levels of nicotine and other harmful substances. Some of these chemicals have been shown to be harmful to health and can cause cancer, heart disease and lung damage.
Vaping is linked to a range of health harms, including:
Vapes are marketed to appeal to young people and come in attractive packaging, including colours, and a range of flavours. Research has shown that young people start vaping due to flavours and taste, for relaxation and stress relief.
Vaping is seen as a socially acceptable behaviour among peers.
Understanding the reasons why a young person vapes can help you to frame your conversations with them, and how to best support them.
Here are some tips to approach this topic:
Your GP or Quitline can provide tailored advice on how to support your young person who vapes and may be nicotine addicted. For more information to assist in having these conversations, visit the Vaping Toolkit.
Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances in the world and is an ingredient in both tobacco and the liquid in vapes. Nicotine addiction can develop quickly. The more a person vapes (or smokes), the more their brain and body get used to nicotine, which is what makes people keep vaping and smoking.
The amount of nicotine in vapes varies. How much nicotine someone receives depends on the type of vape, the concentration of nicotine in the vape, and how deeply and frequently someone inhales.
A young person’s brain is still developing until they are around 25 years old. Regularly using nicotine vapes can cause changes to a young person’s brain development. This affects their learning, concentration, mood and memory. It can also increase feelings of stress and worsen depression and anxiety. Exposing young brains to nicotine early can rewire the brain to be more addicted to substances into adulthood. You don’t have to vape daily to experience these negative impacts of nicotine.
When someone becomes addicted to nicotine, their brain and body start to need nicotine to feel satisfied and work normally. But the effect of nicotine wears off very quickly, which can trigger another craving to vape (or smoke).
Signs that a young person may be addicted to nicotine can include:
When someone first stops vaping, they can experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms which is temporary and isn’t dangerous. Nicotine withdrawal can happen within the first few hours because when someone is addicted to nicotine and they go without vaping (or smoking), the nicotine level in their bloodstream drops.
This can cause unpleasant physical symptoms, increased anxiety, being irritable and strong urges to vape, known as cravings. After someone quits, the physical withdrawal symptoms usually get better after the first 1-2 weeks.
But the psychological craving to vape can last longer as their brain adapts and re-learns how to function without having nicotine.
If you think a young person might be addicted to vaping, there is help available. See your GP, youth health services or other health services for help with quitting vaping.
The Pave app is uniquely designed to keep young people on track with their quit attempt. Learn more and download the app at www.cancer.nsw.gov.au/pave.
You can also call the Quitline on 13 7848.
