Latest news with #NicotineandTobaccoResearch
New York Post
06-07-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Doctors warn of ‘dangerous' social media trend harming the health of kids as young as 12
The kids are not all right. While many things have changed over this years, one constant that has remained is parents needing to keep an eye on the friendship group of their impressionable teens. Of course, doing so is arguably more difficult than ever thanks to the rise of social media. Advertisement 3 New research out of Australia has found that teens are increasingly exposed to peer pressure and social media hype around this potentially deadly habit. Synthex – New research out of Australia has found that teens are increasingly exposed to peer pressure and social media hype around vaping — thanks in part to the insidious nature of online trends. A study published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research found that young people who had friends who vaped were a shocking 15 times more likely to pick up the habit themselves. 'We analyzed data from 20,800 American youth between 2015 and 2021 and found that while the proportion of friends who smoked declined, having friends who vaped remained concerningly common,' Giang Vu, a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland, said in a press release. Advertisement 'In 2015, 31.6% of young people had friends who vaped, and while this decreased to 22.3% by 2021, this figure is still high.' Much of this decline is likely due to an increase in public disapproval of vaping — which spiked from 55.4% to 77.5% between 2015 and 2020 — following a spate of vaping-related illness and deaths. However, researchers are sounding the alarm over the role that digital content plays in the glamorization of this dangerous habit. Advertisement 3 'We need more regulation on social media, along with targeted policies and campaigns to decrease vaping rates,' study co-author Gary Chung Kai Chan said. Brian – 'In many videos, vaping is portrayed as trendy and a healthier lifestyle choice when compared to cigarette smoking, but this is dangerous messaging,' study co-author Gary Chung Kai Chan said. 'We need more regulation on social media, along with targeted policies and campaigns to decrease vaping rates.' Advertisement The good news is that parental disapproval proved to be one of the strongest protective factors — decreasing the likelihood of vaping by about 70%. But a companion piece published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine discovered another chilling trend: an uptick in the amount of teens vaping THC and CBD — both of which are compounds that are derived from the same plant as weed — along with lab-made synthetic cannabinoids. 3 It was concerning to see a rise in synthetic cannabinoids, where vaping doubled in young people aged between 11–15 years,' said Jack Chung. New Africa – Some of these adolescents are 12 — or younger — and rates were higher among girls than boys. 'We saw an increase in all products between 2021 and 2023, but it was concerning to see a rise in synthetic cannabinoids, where vaping doubled in young people aged between 11–15 years,' said Jack Chung, a PhD candidate at the National Center for Youth Substance Use Research of the University of Queensland. 'Synthetic cannabinoids are particularly dangerous as they can lead to unpredictable health consequences and even death.' Even worse — many of them are wholly unaware of what they are putting into their bodies. Advertisement 'It was also worrying to see more adolescents were unsure about the substances they were vaping—1.8% of teens in 2021 weren't sure if they had vaped synthetic cannabinoids, increasing to 4.7% in 2023,' he said. Experts are increasingly warning that vaping carries hidden dangers — including lung damage, cardiovascular issues, and exposure to toxic chemicals like acrolein. Teens may be especially vulnerable because their brains and bodies are still developing, making them more susceptible to addiction and long-term health consequences.
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Vaping much more addictive than previously thought, new study shows
Vaping is more addictive than nicotine gum, according to new research. The latest pod-style electronic cigarette devices increase dependency more than nicotine-infused gum - indicating that they have a "very high" potential for abuse, say American scientists. Vapes have become very popular since they were first introduced just over 20 years ago, particularly among teenagers and young adults. Previous research has shown that a "significant" proportion of people who use vapes never used other tobacco products regularly. More than 30% of adult users of vaping devices report no history of regular cigarette smoking, a rate that increases to 61.4% among those aged between 18 and 24. Researchers say the pattern was likely down to the emergence of pod-style devices about a decade ago, either in reusable or disposable form. The devices contain nicotine in high concentrations and in salt form, and are more efficient at delivering nicotine to users than earlier vaping devices. Previous research found vapes to have lower abuse potential than traditional cigarettes, and comparable to replacement products such as nicotine gum. But that work was done mostly using subjects who were current or former cigarette smokers. People who have never smoked cigarettes regularly, particularly young people, represent a growing population of nicotine users. For the new study, published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, scientists compared the subjective and behavioural effects of pod-style electronic cigarettes to nicotine gum among adults under 25, all of whom were regular e-cigarette users but non-smokers, in the Morgantown area of West Virginia. Participants abstained from nicotine and tobacco overnight and then either used their own vaping device or chewed nicotine gum for 30 minutes. They then completed subjective - for example, craving, product effects - and behavioural questionnaires about their cravings. Study lead author Andrea Milstred said: "We found that participants' own pod-style vaping devices were more reinforcing than active and placebo nicotine gum. Specifically, electronic cigarettes significantly decreased craving and withdrawal, and increased satisfaction, relative to both doses of gum." The researchers believe that users may find pod-style vaping devices more appealing because they contain liquid with nicotine salts. Relative to nicotine in freebase form, nicotine salts reduce the harshness and bitter taste associated with higher nicotine concentrations, an effect that is more pronounced in those who never smoked traditional cigarettes. Ms Milstred, a doctoral student in behavioural neuroscience at West Virginia University, added: "Today's electronic cigarettes have great potential to produce addiction in populations that are otherwise naive to nicotine. This often includes youth and young adults."
