Known as electronic cigarettes or vapers, among other names, these devices have managed to achieve considerable popularity. And what worries many parents is that they have also dazzled many young people. According to data provided by the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine in 2022, more than 30% of young people between 14 and 18 years old vaped at least once in the last year. An age range that seems to be expanding. In fact, the alarms went off especially at the beginning of 2023, when the designs of vape pens for 9-year-old children, with toy shapes and cartoon characters, went viral.
But what exactly is vaping? This practice consists of inhaling the vapor generated by the electronic cigarette or vape, generated after heating a specific liquid, which may or may not contain nicotine. Although the reality is that the majority contain it, with all the risks that this implies for the health of minors. If it becomes known to parents that their children vape, it is advisable to intervene as soon as possible.
Once it has been confirmed that the child vapes, the best procedure is to find a good time to broach the topic with the minor. Psychologist Isolmar Paradas indicates a series of actions that parents should carry out with their son so that he stops vaping.
The Ministry of Health of the Government of Spain includes a section dedicated to electronic cigarettes within its National Plan on Drugs. It warns about the dangers that these devices pose to health and the evidence currently available regarding these risks. Which various studies have also decided to echo, such as that of the Smoking Research and Prevention Program of the Faculty of Medicine of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
