Vaping is no longer something associated only with adults trying to move away from cigarettes. For many teenagers, it can be their first experience with nicotine. As more young people grow up using e-cigarettes, researchers are beginning to ask a different question: what happens when exposure starts during adolescence and continues for years?
A recent article in Nature highlights growing evidence about the health effects of vaping on children and young people. The authors draw on a recent systematic review of 81 studies, which found associations between vaping and a range of health problems, including respiratory symptoms and several indicators of poorer mental health.
Adolescence is particularly important because the body is still developing. The brain undergoes major changes during these years, and nicotine can interfere with this process. Research suggests that exposure to nicotine during adolescence can have long-lasting effects on cognition, emotions and the brain’s reward system.
The lungs are another obvious concern. Young people who vape are more likely to experience symptoms such as coughing and wheezing. But vaping does not simply expose the lungs to nicotine. The aerosol produced by these devices can contain metals, ultrafine particles and other chemical compounds released or formed when the liquid is heated. Some have been linked to inflammation and toxic effects, although the consequences of long-term exposure are still not fully understood.
The recent systematic review also found associations between vaping and anxiety, depression and panic disorder, as well as a greater likelihood of subsequently starting to smoke conventional cigarettes. These findings do not necessarily mean that vaping directly causes these conditions. Many of the available studies are observational, making it difficult to separate cause from other factors.
What is becoming clearer is that the effects of vaping may extend beyond the immediate experience of using a device. Some consequences may be subtle, develop gradually or only become visible after years of exposure.
Today’s teenagers may therefore be among the first generations to provide an answer to a question that science cannot yet fully resolve: what does it mean for a developing body to live with regular exposure to vaping from such an early age?
References
- Oyella, P. et al. (2026). Impacts of vaping on children and young people: a systematic review. Archives of Disease in Childhood.
- Leslie, F. M. (2020). Unique, long-term effects of nicotine on adolescent brain. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 197, 173010.
- Bonner, E. et al. (2021). The chemistry and toxicology of vaping. Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 225, 107837.
PhD in Sociology from the University of Barcelona. Early Childhood Education Teacher. Substitute Teacher at the Universitat de València.