Should we be worried that e-cigarettes might become cool for kids?

Stuart Wright

Smoking seems to be regarded as very uncool by my kids and their peers.
Is there a danger that younger people might regard e-cigarettes as cool and we'll have a new generation of nicotine addicts?

Trollslayer

Yes and as far as I can see there are plenty of opportunities for high nicotine intake which could pose risks.
At work e-cigarettes are banned inside, the same as others.

oska

Maybe, I don't think they should be advertised on TV for a start, especially the way they are portraying it anyway.

Yes it may introduce younger people to vaping but unless there are proven significant health risks I wouldn't have thought it would pose much of a problem. As far as I understand nicotine although addictive does not have major negative effects or health implications. I'm far more worried about alcohol/drug abuse when my kids get to that age.

With regards to intake I vape a lot more than I used to smoke but I have also reduced the level of nicotine from 18mg which I used for about a year down to 12mg. I will probably reduce that at some point too. I think as part of the EU legislation they are looking to ban the higher nicotine levels.

I also have no issue with the indoors thing, I regard myself as a considerate vaper. I can understand others don't want to breather in great clouds of the stuff. What does annoy me is a lot of people lump vapers in with smokers. If someone asked me to go and use a smoking area for instance. I'll quite happily vape outside but at a considerable distance so as not to breathe in their smoke.

Trollslayer

If there are health problems they won't show up for a long time then what?

NewfieDrool

Where there is a substance there will always be a problem. That could ecigs, tobacco, alcohol, sugar, fast food, fuel emissions and so on.
Clever marketing has promoted ecigs, fancy equipment, bright logos, online presence all contribute to the large uptake.
My first device was a device called a screwdriver, crude and ugly. Vapour was poor and you had a limited amount of flavours.
Now you have devices that can produce clouds of vapour, liquids by the dozen and so combining marketing you could well see a percentage of people taking it up who would not have smoked in the first place.

oska

I know. I still think they would be marginal compared to smoking though. Who knows. Fact is I don't stink anymore, I don't cough my guts up in the morning plus a few other benefits. I agree it would be a shame if young people who have never smoked would take up vaping as a "thing".

Trollslayer

True, just trying to strike a balance.
The thing is I can remember hearing about Thalidomide.

tmark938

The truth is it will take time to confirm any long term health implications. However, we know the ingredients of an ecig and we know the individual health implications of those ingredients on their own. As a consequence we can take an educated guess at any possible implications.

Timmy C

My feeling is the type of kid that would get an ecig to be cool is equally likely to take up smoking for the same reason. The kids heroes are most likely adults who are unlikely to take up ecigs unless they are currently smokers already and they are the ones the kids are looking up to.  I'm sure most would agree if kids are going to do one or the other then ecigs is the better option.

Lomez

My view on this from my own personal experience is peer pressure will dictate on most occasions whether or not they will try it not a sense of coolness since when has smoking ever been cool in the past 10 years,   the thing is people will smoke regardless whether its e-cigs or traditional tobacco and as it stands it looks like the healthier option is e-cigs although neither are fully free from potential danger.