The effects of cigarette smoking cause nearly one in five deaths in the U.S. each year. Smoking is linked with cancer, heart disease, and lung disease. Cigarettes are made with tobacco, which contains nicotine. Nicotine is a highly-addictive chemical. Once people start using nicotine, they have trouble stopping. It is often easy to tell whether someone smokes or not. Smokers often exhibit symptoms such as coughing, low energy, respiratory difficulties, and poor circulation. These problems often build over time. Doctors believe it is inevitable that smoking will eventually lead to an accumulation of health problems.

Teen smoking rates are lower than they once were. Still, as of 2023, 10% of middle and high school students used tobacco products. While cigarette smoking has declined, e-cigarettes (vaping) have become a popular product among teens, with 7.7% using e-cigarettes as of 2023. Many health professionals find this concerning. Although vaping avoids some of the damaging ingredients in traditional cigarettes, vaping liquids still contain the addictive drug nicotine. Nicotine is harmful to the heart and lungs, and is especially dangerous to the adolescent brain. Research has also repeatedly linked nicotine use to worse symptoms of anxiety and depression.

So why do people use nicotine products? Some say smoking or vaping keeps them calm. Others think it makes them look cool. Many people believe that parents and schools are responsible for helping kids resist these ideas. For example, teens are less likely to become smokers if their parents don’t smoke. Parents can also help by talking to their kids about the risks of nicotine use. Similarly, certain education programs in schools have proven helpful in preventing teens from using nicotine products. 

Once a young person starts using nicotine, there is a good chance that they will become lifelong users and customers of tobacco companies. That’s why companies use appealing advertisements and other techniques to manipulate young people into buying nicotine products. For instance, some brands developed flavored products and promoted them with fun, tropical images. Many teens tried the flavored vapes without even realizing they contained nicotine. Critics argue that these actions contradict statements by tobacco companies that they are trying to prevent kids from vaping and smoking. They think tobacco companies should follow stricter guidelines about marketing to teens.

Should companies be held responsible for attracting kids to nicotine? Is it the job of parents, teachers, and lawmakers to prevent teen smoking and vaping? Or should kids be responsible for their own choices?