If you’ve found a small, USB stick-shaped device in your grandchild’s bag, or noticed an unfamiliar sweet smell around them, you’re not alone. Vaping among teenagers is a real and documented trend, but the picture is more nuanced than many headlines suggest.
“Grandparents often come to us having seen a device they didn’t recognise and assuming the worst,” says James Smith, Head of Vaping Community and vaping industry expert at Discount Vape Pen, an online vaping store based in NJ. “Knowing what you’re actually looking at and what it’s designed to do is the first step to having a useful conversation with a teenager.” Understanding what these devices actually are will put you in a far stronger position than alarm alone.
The Numbers, in Context
According to the FDA’s 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey, current e-cigarette use among middle and high school students fell from 7.7% in 2023 to 5.9% in 2024, a meaningful drop. The number of youth who used e-cigarettes in 2024 is approximately one-third of what it was at its peak in 2019, when over five million young people reported current use.
That said, a study published in JAMA Network Open found that daily nicotine vaping nearly doubled between 2020 and 2024 among students who do vape, with the share puffing every day rising from 15% to nearly 29%. The concern is less about how many teens are trying vaping, and more about how difficult it is for those who do it regularly to stop.
Nicotine exposure can negatively affect normal brain development by impacting concentration and reducing impulse control, and may also worsen mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression.
What Are You Actually Looking At?
Vape devices come in a few forms, and recognising them helps.
Disposables are the most common among teenagers. In 2024, 55.6% of students who vape reported using disposable e-cigarettes. These are slim, pen-shaped devices that come pre-filled and pre-charged, require no setup, and are discarded when empty. Popular brands among teens have included Elf Bar and Breeze. They’re small enough to fit in a pocket and can be mistaken for a highlighter or lip balm.
Cartridge-based systems use a separate rechargeable battery, often called a 510-thread battery, onto which a small pre-filled oil cartridge is screwed. These are more common among older users and cannabis consumers. The battery itself looks like a slim pen and won’t tell you much on its own; it’s the cartridge attached to it that indicates what’s being used.
Dry herb vaporizers heat actual plant material rather than oil or liquid. These tend to be bulkier and are more commonly associated with adult cannabis use than teen nicotine vaping.
Nicotine or Cannabis: Does it Matter?
It does. The devices used for nicotine vaping and cannabis vaping often look similar, but they serve different purposes and carry different risks for teenagers. Nicotine disposables are the dominant product among school-age users. Cannabis cartridges, which typically contain THC oil, are more commonly associated with older teenagers and young adults.
The sale of e-cigarettes to persons under the age of 21 is prohibited by federal law. That applies to both nicotine and cannabis products, though in practice, enforcement relies heavily on retailers.
How to Have the Conversation
Alarm tends to shut conversations down. Asking straightforward questions such as “I noticed this, can you help me understand what it is?” tends to open them. The CDC notes that most middle and high school students who vape want to quit, with 63.9% reporting a desire to stop in a 2020 survey. That’s worth knowing before you go in with both barrels.
