It looks like your language preference is English, switch to GB website?
Update your location to view content relevant to your location.

Why is vaping popular with teens? Vaping statistics & facts 2024

E-cigarettes have been on sale for over 10 years but in recent years there has been a rapid increase in teenagers vaping.

two teens vaping learn about teen vaping and statistics

What’s stopping you?

Not sure if you’re ready to stop smoking? Worried about finding it difficult?

Start the quiz
Share this article

When did vaping become popular?

Teenagers are vaping in growing numbers. In fact in 2023, Dr Mike McKean, vice-president of policy for the Royal College of Paediatricians and Child Health, said vaping was becoming an “epidemic” in the UK among teenagers even though it is illegal before the age of 18.

In UK, 34% of teenagers aged 18 have vaped. New research shows 18% of 11 to 17-year-olds, approximately 980,000 young individuals, reported engaging in vaping this year.

The following graphs show the growth in vaping amongst teenagers:

% of US teenagers who reported any vaping during the last 30 days

2024 graph US teenagers who reported any vaping during last 30 days

Source: University of Michigan Monitoring the Future survey4

% of UK teenagers who reported any vaping during the last 30 days

2024 graph UK teenagers who reported any vaping during the last 30 daysSource: ASH10

Vaping facts for teens

A few quick statistics and facts

  • The nicotine content of one JUUL pod is equivalent to one pack of cigarettes
  • The nicotine content of one ELF bar is equivalent to 48/50 cigarettes or two and a half packs of cigarettes
  • Children and adolescents who vape are more than twice as likely to smoke cigarettes
  • Only 40% of parents were aware that their children vaped against 70% for smoking
  • Vaping poses a risk to lungs – In 2016 nearly 200 e-cigarette users developed severe lung disease in 22 states across USA
  • Vaping often contains nicotine even when the juice is nicotine free – nicotine is highly addictive and affects brain development particularly in young people.
  • In 2023, 12% of US 13-14 year olds had vaped nicotine, in 2016 it was only 3.5%
  • In 2024 18% of UK teens had vaped, in 2013 it was 4.5%

More vaping statistics and facts

What’s holding you back?

Not sure if you really want to quit vaping?

Want to stop, but concerned that you’ll find it tough?

Worried that you’ll be deprived for the rest of your life without vapes?

We know that taking the first step can be difficult, but we’re here to answer your questions in complete confidence – with no pressure and no judgement.

Start the free quiz

E-Cigarettes sold illegally to teens

It is illegal to sell vapes to under 18 year olds in the UK and under 21 year olds in the US.

However, although illegal, with access to a credit card it is easy to buy vapes online and it is often easy to buy vapes from stores including illegal vapes.

The dangers of illegal vapes to your health are even higher than for normal vapes because they are unregulated, and the vape juice has higher quantities of dangerous chemicals, cancer causing toxins, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds in the vape juice.

What is in vape liquid?

Nicotine free vapes are not as harmless as you think

Some vaping juices say they are nicotine free but it turns out, a lot of times they actually sneak in some nicotine!

And as you know that stuff is highly addictive. But nicotine is only one of the dangerous chemicals in vape juice!

What is in vape liquid?

Are teens who vape more likely to start smoking cigarettes?

There are a number of studies that show that vaping increases the likelihood of teenagers starting to smoke.

Common sense would have any sensible person conclude that if a youngster is more likely to take up vaping e-cigarettes that contain highly addictive nicotine – they are more likely, at some point in the future, to move on to cigarettes.

Why wait to quit vaping?

Our online video programme is tailored for teens, offering a powerful and supportive way to stop for good.

Buy now for just US$10

Free Online Quiz

Not sure if you really want to quit vaping?

Need help to stop vaping?

Want to stop, but concerned that you’ll find it tough?

Worried that you’ll be deprived for the rest of your life without vapes?

We can help you to understand and remove those fears and in so doing, make it quitting easy.

Person booking a stop smoking, stop drinking, stop vaping or lose weight consultation on a phone

References:

  1. Wang TW, Neff LJ, Park-Lee E, et al. E-cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2020. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2020;69.
  2. Samir S. Soneji, Kristin E. Knutzen, Andrea C. Villanti. Use of Flavored E-Cigarettes Among Adolescents, Young Adults, and Older Adults: Findings From the Population Assessment for Tobacco and Health Study. Public Health Reports, 2019; 003335491983096 DOI: 1177/0033354919830967
  3. Goniewicz ML, Gupta R, Lee YH, et al. Nicotine levels in electronic cigarette refill solutions: a comparative analysis of products from the United States, Korea, and Poland. Int J Drug Policy. 2015;26(6):583–588.
  4. The New England Journal of Medicine : Trends in Adolescent Vaping, 2017–2019 October 10, 2019 N Engl J Med 2019; 381:1490-1491 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc1910739 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1910739  and University of Michigan Monitoring the Future vaping survey 2021 Richard Miech; Adam Leventhal; Lloyd Johnston Pediatrics October 2020, JAMA Pediatr. 2021;175(2):185-190; DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.56672022 update, https://monitoringthefuture.org/data/bx-by/drug-prevalence/#drug=%22Vape+Nicotine+%28E-cigarettes%29%22
  5. Centres for Disease control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/Quick-Facts-on-the-Risks-of-E-cigarettes-for-Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults.html
  6. Willett JG, Bennett M, Hair EC, et al Recognition, use and perceptions of JUUL among youth and young adults. Tobacco Control Published Online First: 18 April 2018. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054273
  7. US Department of Health and Human Services. E-cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon Generalpdf icon[PDF – 8.47MB]. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2016. Accessed July 27, 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/e-cigarettes/pdfs/2016_sgr_entire_report_508.pdf and US Department of Health and Human Services. E-cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students 2020pdf icon[PDF – 8.47MB]. US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2020. Weekly / September 18, 2020 / 69(37);1310–1312. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6937e1.htm?s_cid=mm6937e1_w
  8. July 2018 Gallup poll https://news.gallup.com/poll/237818/young-people-adopt-vaping-smoking-rate-plummets.aspx
  9. Parental Awareness of Youth Tobacco Use and the Role of Household Tobacco Rules in Use Prevention Tsu-Shuan Wu and Benjamin W. Chaffee Pediatrics October 2020, e20194034; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-4034 https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2020/10/01/peds.2019-4034
  10. ASH Use of e-cigarettes among young people in Great Britain ASH-Factsheet-Youth-E-cigarette-Use-2019 , YouthEcig2020 , , Use-of-e-cigarettes-among-young-people-in-Great-Britain-2021Use-of-e-cigarettes-among-young-people-in-Great-Britain-2022https://ash.org.uk/uploads/Use-of-vapes-among-young-people-GB-2023-v2.pdf, https://ash.org.uk/uploads/Use-of-vapes-among-young-people-in-Great-Britain-2024.pdf?v=1722505432
  11. National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes Report – https://www.nap.edu/resource/24952/012318ecigaretteConclusionsbyEvidence.pdf
  12. World Health Organisation Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2021
  13. Raymond BH, Collette-Merrill K, Harrison RG, Jarvis S, Rasmussen RJ. The nicotine content of a sample of E-cigarette liquid manufactured in the United States. Journal of Addiction Medicine. 2018;12(2):127–131.
  14. NHS: Flavouring found in e-cigarettes linked to ‘popcorn lung’ https://www.nhs.uk/news/heart-and-lungs/flavouring-found-in-e-cigarettes-linked-to-popcorn-lung/
  15. A review of the comparative mammalian toxicity of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol J S LaKind 1, E A McKenna, R P Hubner, R G Tardiff Crit Rev Toxicol. 1999 Jul;29(4):331-65. doi: 10.1080/10408449991349230 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10451263/
  16. A toxicological review of the propylene glycols J Fowles, M Banton, L Pottenger Crit Rev Toxicol 2013 Apr;43(4):363-90. doi: 10.3109/10408444.2013.792328 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23656560/
  17. Propylene Glycol Toxicity in Children T. Lim, R. Poole, and N. Pageler, J Pediatr Pharmacol Therv.19(4); Oct-Dec 2014PMC4341412 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4341412/
  18.  Fuoco, F.C.; Buonanno, G.; Stabile, L.; Vigo, P., “Influential parameters on particle concentration and size distribution in the mainstream of e-cigarettes,” Environmental Pollution 184: 523-529, January 2014.
  19. Grana, R; Benowitz, N; Glantz, S. “Background Paper on E-cigarettes,” Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco and WHO Collaborating Center on Tobacco Control. December 2013.
  20. Goniewicz, M.L.; Knysak, J.; Gawron, M.; Kosmider, L.; Sobczak, A.; Kurek, J.; Prokopowicz, A.; Jablonska-Czapla, M.; Rosik-Dulewska, C.; Havel, C.; Jacob, P.; Benowitz, N., “Levels of selected carcinogens and toxicants in vapour from electronic cigarettes,” Tobacco Control [Epub ahead of print], March 6, 2013.
  21. Williams, M.; Villarreal, A.; Bozhilov, K.; Lin, S.; Talbot, P., “Metal and silicate particles including nanoparticles are present in electronic cigarette cartomizer fluid and aerosol,” PLoS ONE 8(3): e57987, March 20, 2013.
  22. Henderson, TR; Clark, CR; Marshall, TC; Hanson, RL; & Hobbs, CH. “Heat degradation studies of solar heat transfer fluids,” Solar Energy, 27, 121-128. 1981.
  23. Williams, M.; Villarreal, A.; Bozhilov, K.; Lin, S.; Talbot, P., “Metal and silicate particles including nanoparticles are present in electronic cigarette cartomizer fluid and aerosol,” PLoS ONE 8(3): e57987, March 20, 2013.
  24. Lerner, C.A.; Rutagarama, P.; Ahmad, T.; Sundar, I.K.; Elder, A.; Rahman, I., “Electronic cigarette aerosols and copper nanoparticles induce mitochondrial stress and promote DNA fragmentation in lung fibroblasts,” Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 477(4): 620-625, September 2, 2016.
  25. Guardian Newspaper https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/18/uk-health-expert-raises-alarm-at-epidemic-of-vaping-among-teenagers
  26. Elf bar nicotine levels Dr. Onkar Mudhar https://vaping360.com/learn/how-much-nicotine-is-in-a-elf-bar/#:~:text=Nicotine%20in%20a%20cigarette%20compared%20to%20Elf%20Bars,-A%20recent%20Tiktok&text=Dr.,equivalent%2020%20milligrams%20of%20nicotine.%E2%80%9D
  27. United states most popular vape flavor teenagers – Statista 2022
  28. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. National Youth Tobacco Survey 2022
  29. Association between e-cigarette use and future combustible cigarette use: Evidence from a prospective cohort of youth and young adults, 2017–2019 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306460320307231?dgcid=author 
  30. E-Cigarettes and Future Cigarette Use. American Academy of Pediatrics Vol 138, Issue 1 July 2016 http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2016/06/10/peds.2016-0379.full