E-Cigarettes and Vaping: 5 Facts Moms Can Use to Protect Kids
We've come a long way, baby.
If you were a student in the 1970s and 80s, you could smoke at school. With no age limit on tobacco in the US, high school administrators provided areas set aside for teens to light up between classes. It's hard to believe now.
It wasn't until 1983 that New Jersey enacted the first age restriction. In the Garden State, you had to be 16 to purchase tobacco products, though using was not criminalized.
Do you remember smoking sections in most restaurants up until the early 2000s when states finally started doing away with them? With ample medical proof widely publicized, public smoking was finally falling from grace in American culture.
We have come a long way – or have we?
Enter e-cigarettes and vaping instead of combustible, old-school, lung-cancer-causing smokes. Early on, e-cigs were falsely tagged as a safe alternative to smoking. Some claimed it was just breathing water vapor. Since the human body is around 60% water, what could be better?
The problem is those early ad campaigns left out many important facts. You aren't just "breathing water vapor." Rather, vaping delivers a heated cocktail of chemicals directly into the lungs along with a sometimes-massive nicotine hit.
Vaping has indeed been used to help adult smokers kick their toxic habit; however, it's also drawn many who had never lit up a traditional cigarette to fall for the e-cig craze. Around 1.5
million Americans who never smoked report using e-cigarettes. In total, 7% of American adults vape, with 7.2% of high school students using e-cigarettes,1 despite the illegality of selling any tobacco product to those under 21.
The word is getting out about vaping, along with increased information about the very real risks. Now is the time for moms to understand the facts about e-cigarette use, even if it hasn't been an issue for your teens. Proactively arm your kids with practical facts that might help them avoid vaping altogether, saving your sons and daughters from a dangerous, possibly deadly, addiction.
Here are some facts to consider about vaping:
The message about the life-threatening risks of smoking (cigarettes) has thankfully resonated in our culture. Youth smoking rates have plummeted since a high of 36% in 1997, to now only 3.6%.2 That is real progress. However, in 2025, it was estimated that 1.44 million US kids were vaping. It's become the primary tobacco product for the young.3 Around the globe, the World Health Organization estimates 100 million e-cigarette users, which includes about 15 million kids between 13-15.4
In the US, tobacco sales, including vapes, are regulated to be sold only to those 21 or older. Still, these dangerous products seem readily available to the underaged. Primary sources for obtaining these substances are through friends, parents, or with help from an older sibling. They're also remarkably easy to buy online using someone else's birthdate and identification.
That's why one of the best defenses for your family is having informed kids who understand the risks.
Fact #2 Vaping Brings Serious Health Risks
Petrea McKeithen of Pennsylvania was 22 when she started vaping. It quickly became an addiction and turned into a nightmare just one year later. That's when both of her lungs collapsed, sending her to the ICU, where she was put into an induced coma. According to a Fox News report, she was given just a 3% chance of survival. That same article explained that Johns Hopkins has seen a "rash of collapsed lungs in younger people," and it seems to have at least an anecdotal connection to kids who vape.5
The CDC recommends e-cigarettes should not be used by pregnant women, children, adolescents, and young adults. Here are a few of the reasons:
Nicotine causes addiction and can be toxic. According to CDC findings, "more than 80% of calls to U.S. poison control centers for e-cigarettes are for children less than 5 years old."
In youth, addiction can take hold quickly. It can damage the developing brain, potentially affecting "attention, learning, mood, and impulse control." · Addiction through vaping can lead to future addictions.
Chemicals found in vapes can cause cancer and also contain heavy metals, including lead, nickel, and tin.
Diacetyl is a flavoring found in e-cigarettes and can lead to lung disease.
Defective e-cigarettes have exploded, causing injuries.6
Fact #3 E-Cigs Can Lead to EVALI
There's not a lot of good news associated with e-cigarettes, whether the product used is legal or not.
We've already established the highly addictive nature of vaping, and the dangers to growing brains, lungs, and bodies. A term now encompasses some of the devastating health challenges users may face. EVALI stands for "E-cigarette or Vaping Use-Associated Lung Injury." According to the American Lung Association, "more than 50% of patients with EVALI require admission to an intensive care unit." It's no joke.
Specifically, that term includes acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and bronchiolitis obliterans (popcorn lung).7 No, thank you.
Fact #4 Vaping is Addictive, Delivering More Nicotine Than Cigarettes
As we mentioned, vaping is highly addictive, but the method of delivery affects how nicotine is absorbed into the body. According to a piece from the University of California, San Francisco, citing Pamela Ling, MD, MPH, Director of the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education:
"Almost a decade ago, the average vape cartridge had the nicotine content of about a pack of cigarettes or 20 cigarettes. These days, popular vapes can easily have the nicotine content of three cartons or 600 cigarettes."
Though she goes on to admit that they aren't yet certain if vaping is safer than smoking highly toxic cigarettes, she shared that they were seeing lower risks for lung disease with vaping, but cardiovascular diseases as prevalent in those who vape as in traditional smokers.8
Another addition to the addiction profile has been flavored vapes that seem particularly appealing to kids. Vapes delivering that nicotine hit disguised with flavors like cotton candy, gummy bear, watermelon, or strawberry add to the ease of use and ease of becoming addicted.
Fact #5 Illegal Disposable E-Cigs from China Target Kids
One of the main criticisms of flavored vape products is that they seem to directly target kids, who aren't even supposed to be able to access these products until adulthood. A handful of states, like California, New York, and Massachusetts, have strict restrictions on flavored vape sales, and more are considering stronger measures.
Despite efforts to limit these, there is a robust black market providing vapes that are unregulated and illegal in the US. China has been a major culprit, manufacturing flavored vapes for export to America. At the same time, they are illegal for young people to obtain in China. China exports more than $10 billion in e-cigarette products, with the US being its biggest market. Unauthorized disposable e-cigarettes from China account for around 40% of our nation's vape market.
In fact, as much as 60- 85% of all vape products in the US are illegal and unregulated by the FDA. This means no oversight or control over the substances in those products, which can pose additional dangers when used.
That's why Moms for America Action has a task force to "stop illegal vapes from targeting our kids." You can get involved by signing this petition to demand stronger enforcement and better protection for America's vulnerable youth. Your voice matters. Join us in this effort!
Education is the first line of defense for your kids. That comes from you. Share the real dangers we've outlined and have open, honest conversations. Ask open-ended questions about e-cig use by friends and acquaintances and invite your teens to share their thoughts with you. Remember to listen well, without over-reacting. Do your best to stay level, caring, and measured so your kids feel comfortable opening up to you. As we've encouraged in previous blogs, welcome conversation on any topic, even those that may shock your sensibilities. The parental freak-out sends a clear message that you aren't the place to talk about these things. You are the first line of defense, and you can do this.
Most importantly, approach each concern with prayer and action. Seek God's hand in your efforts, have the conversations, and join other moms and us in standing up for our nation, our families, and our precious kids.
1 fda.gov
2 lung.org
3 fda.gov
6 cdc.gov
7 lung.org
8 ucsf.edu
Podcast Note: She Fought. He Survived.
Kulsum Ali’s husband was in the hospital, on the edge between life and death. When doctors told her to take him home to die, she refused to give up. Her husband, Mir, had gone from smoking to vaping to needing a double lung transplant. Today, he is a walking miracle. Kulsum shares their extraordinary journey, the serious health concerns surrounding vaping, and why advocating for your loved ones can make all the difference. When hope seems lost, never be afraid to ask questions, challenge expectations, and keep fighting for the care your family deserves.
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