The Stress Epidemic: Understanding Teen Vaping and How Parents Can Help
The Stress Epidemic: Understanding Teen Vaping and How Parents Can Help
A new study conducted by Megan E. Patrick, PhD, and colleagues, analyzed the reasons for nicotine vaping among US adolescents in grades 8, 10, and 12 using data from the Monitoring the Future surveys (2021–2023). The findings aim to inform prevention and intervention strategies as adolescent vaping continues to raise public health concerns.
Key Findings:
Prevalence of Vaping:
Nicotine vaping in the past 30 days was reported by:
7.5% of 8th graders.
13% of 10th graders.
19.4% of 12th graders.
Near-daily vaping was most common in 12th graders at 7.8%.
Top Reasons for Vaping:
Relaxation was the most commonly cited reason across all groups (48.7% of past-year vapers and 71.1% of near-daily vapers).
Other frequent reasons included:
Experimentation.
Boredom.
Taste.
Among near-daily vapers, "being hooked" and "feeling good" were also significant reasons.
Age-Related Trends:
Younger adolescents (8th graders) were more likely to vape out of boredom and for the taste compared to older students.
Older adolescents (12th graders) cited "convenience over cigarettes," "being hooked," and "help quitting cigarettes" more often than younger students.
Shifts Over Time:
Compared to 2015, relaxation has become a significantly more prominent reason for vaping nicotine, reflecting a change in the motivations behind adolescent vaping.
Smoking Cessation:
Only 8.9% of near-daily vapers endorsed vaping to quit cigarettes, highlighting that cessation is not a primary motivator for adolescent nicotine use.
Implications:
The high prevalence of vaping for relaxation underscores the need to address stress and anxiety in adolescents as part of prevention strategies.
Identifying and intervening with adolescents who vape to cope with stress or boredom could reduce the risk of nicotine dependence.
Further research is needed to explore other motivations, such as weight management, reported by a notable portion of near-daily vapers.
The study emphasizes the importance of targeted interventions that account for the evolving reasons adolescents vape, focusing on stress management and reducing nicotine dependency risks.
The Stories Tell the Story
A story from NPR this year paints a concerning portrait. For many young adults, the flickering glow of a disposable e-cigarette has replaced the cigarette of yesteryear, quietly becoming a fixture in their daily lives. The habit often begins in adolescence—fueled by sleek devices, alluring flavors, and a culture that normalizes puffing away stress and boredom—and, for many, it doesn’t end there. What starts as a casual experiment or social pastime evolves into a dependency that shapes their routines, finances, and even health.
Take G Kumar, for example. Now 24, Kumar’s reliance on vaping began in high school and hit its peak during college. Disposable vapes, with their thousands of puffs, became a crutch. Kumar recalls losing their vape pen as an existential crisis, sparking frantic searches through bedsheets and bags. Vaping wasn't just a habit; it was woven into the rhythms of their life. "It needs to be right next to my head when I fall asleep at night," Kumar remembers, "and in the morning, I have to thrash through the sheets and pick it up."
This dependency isn’t unique to Kumar. The rise of vaping, especially among adolescents and young adults, has created what some call "Generation Vape." For many, the allure begins innocently enough. Sleek marketing campaigns featuring vibrant colors and appealing flavors—mango, cotton candy, or mint—presented vaping as harmless fun, a safer alternative to smoking. Social media platforms were flooded with videos of young people flaunting their vapes, making it look cool, even glamorous. But the reality behind the glossy ads and TikTok trends has proven far darker.
For Kumar and countless others, the promise of harmless fun turned into something far more insidious. Dependency on high-nicotine devices became impossible to ignore, with many young people unable to shake the habit. The pandemic further exacerbated the problem. Isolated and anxious, students turned to vaping to fill the void left by disrupted routines and severed social connections. For some, the pandemic's quiet hours became an opportunity for introspection; for others, it deepened their attachment to vaping, as they puffed away the boredom and anxiety.
At Children’s Hospital Colorado, Dr. Heather De Keyser has seen firsthand the damage vaping can inflict. She points to the X-rays of a young adult’s lungs clouded with vaping-related injuries. Years ago, public health experts warned that e-cigarettes, despite their polished image, carried risks for young, developing bodies. Those fears are no longer hypothetical. The evidence now sits in hospital records and clinics nationwide, with young adults grappling with the consequences of a habit they picked up as teens.
For Jacob Garza, a senior at the University of Colorado, vaping has become so embedded in his peers’ lives that it feels almost inescapable. “Everyone knows it’s not good for you, and everyone wants to stop,” he observes. “But after all these years, it’s just second nature now.” The “stealth culture” of vaping only reinforces its grip. Unlike traditional cigarettes, vapes are discreet, easy to hide, and can be used almost anywhere. The devices themselves, with their modern designs, resemble gadgets more than health hazards.
The parallels to the tobacco industry’s tactics are striking. Just as Big Tobacco glamorized smoking in the mid-20th century, vape companies marketed their products with youthful exuberance, drawing in a new generation. Videos of teens laughing and vaping at parties once flooded platforms like YouTube. Some of these companies, like Juul, have since faced legal consequences, paying millions in settlements for their aggressive targeting of underage consumers. But the damage is done—those sleek ads and enticing flavors worked. Kids who started vaping before they were old enough to vote now find themselves trapped in a cycle of addiction.
Breaking free isn’t easy. Kumar eventually quit, but not without difficulty. The high-nicotine vapes left a psychological and physical craving that was hard to shake. For Kumar, the turning point wasn’t health-related but ecological. “It was knowing the amount of trash [from used-up vape devices] that I was accumulating and the amount of money I was spending,” they admit. A package of cessation aids from their college health program helped, offering alternatives to curb the cravings. Still, it took an enormous amount of willpower to stop.
Kumar’s story, like so many others, reveals the long tail of a phenomenon that began as a marketing ploy. The consequences of this epidemic extend far beyond the glossy campaigns and fruity flavors. They are etched into hospital records, strained wallets, and the deeply personal struggles of young adults trying to reclaim control over their lives. What vaping has done to a generation mirrors the patterns of addiction seen with cigarettes decades ago—but with a sleek, modern twist that makes it all the more insidious.
For public health experts and parents alike, the lesson is clear: the damage is real, and it is lasting. A generation that was told vaping was harmless fun is now discovering just how much it costs them—not just in dollars, but in freedom, health, and peace of mind.
Where Teen Anxiety Comes From
The pressures and anxieties that lead many teenagers to begin vaping as a way to mediate stress and relieve tension are deeply rooted in a cultural environment saturated with achievement demands and parental expectations. Both Jennifer Breheny Wallace’s Never Enough and Madeline Levine’s The Price of Privilege offer critical insights into the origins of these pressures, painting a vivid picture of how societal norms, familial expectations, and educational systems conspire to create a generation burdened with immense stress and a desperate need for coping mechanisms.
The Toxic Achievement Culture: Living for Performance
In Never Enough, Wallace describes the relentless culture of performance that many teenagers face, where their worth is often tied to their measurable achievements. This culture pushes students to excel in academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities, often at the expense of their mental and emotional well-being. From a young age, children are conditioned to believe that their value lies in external accomplishments, such as grades, test scores, or college acceptances. The result is a “professionalized childhood,” where every minute is managed and maximized, leaving little room for rest, reflection, or self-discovery. For teens caught in this high-stakes environment, the pressure to perform can feel unrelenting.
Wallace highlights how this pressure can lead to feelings of inadequacy, sadness, and hopelessness. Teens feel they are running a race that is not of their choosing, with little opportunity to pause and ask themselves what they truly want. For many, vaping becomes a way to momentarily escape this grind. The allure of nicotine as a stress reliever and a means to “relax” resonates with teens who feel constantly under siege by expectations from parents, teachers, and even peers.
Parental Intrusion and Conditional Love
Levine, in The Price of Privilege, explores how certain parenting styles exacerbate these pressures. She describes how well-meaning but overinvolved parents can inadvertently instill in their children the belief that love and acceptance are contingent upon success. These parents, driven by their own anxieties and societal pressures, focus heavily on their child’s external achievements while neglecting their emotional needs. This leads to what Levine calls “achievement pressure” combined with “isolation from parents,” a toxic mix that fosters anxiety, depression, and a diminished sense of self-worth.
For example, Levine recounts stories of teenagers who fear going home after minor academic setbacks because of anticipated criticism from parents. These children often internalize the idea that they must be “perfect” to earn love and approval, a belief that fuels chronic stress and the need to find immediate coping mechanisms, like vaping. The fleeting relief offered by nicotine becomes an attractive solution for teens who feel trapped in a world of unattainable expectations.
The Erosion of Internal Motivation and Autonomy
Both Wallace and Levine emphasize the loss of autonomy and internal motivation as a critical factor in teenage stress. Teens today are often so focused on meeting external benchmarks that they lose touch with their own interests, passions, and sense of purpose. Wallace describes how students become more concerned with outcomes—such as college admissions or social media clout—than with the joy of learning or engaging meaningfully with their communities. Similarly, Levine highlights how children subjected to intrusive parenting styles struggle to develop a sense of self-efficacy, leaving them feeling helpless and dependent on external validation.
This lack of autonomy makes it harder for teens to manage stress in healthy ways. Without the tools to process their emotions or navigate challenges independently, they turn to quick fixes. Vaping, with its discreetness and accessibility, becomes a way to regain a sense of control over their emotions, even if only temporarily.
The Role of Stress and Anxiety in Coping Mechanisms
The stress teens face is often compounded by the psychological toll of perfectionism. Both books explore how high-achieving teens are prone to maladaptive perfectionist tendencies, such as obsessing over minor mistakes or feeling paralyzed by fear of failure. These tendencies are linked to increased rates of depression, anxiety, and even substance use. Levine notes that adolescents often turn to unhealthy coping strategies when they feel overwhelmed by the demands placed on them. Vaping offers a deceptively simple solution, promising relaxation and a momentary escape from their anxieties.
Moreover, the social pressures teens face amplify their struggles. In competitive school environments, where success is highly visible and comparisons are constant, students may feel isolated or inadequate if they fall short. As Never Enough points out, the shift from community-oriented values to self-enhancing ones—like pursuing fame, money, or image—further erodes teens’ sense of connection and purpose. In this context, vaping can serve as both a social activity and a way to numb feelings of inadequacy.
Toward a Healthier Approach
Both Wallace and Levine argue for a shift in how society, and particularly parents, approach the development of teenagers. Wallace emphasizes the importance of helping teens feel that they matter for who they are, not just for what they achieve. This involves creating a home environment where love and support are unconditional, allowing children to explore their interests and develop a sense of intrinsic motivation. Similarly, Levine advocates for fostering autonomy by encouraging teens to think for themselves, set their own goals, and learn from failure without fear of judgment.
By addressing the root causes of teenage stress—whether it’s the toxic achievement culture or intrusive parenting—parents and educators can help prevent the need for unhealthy coping mechanisms like vaping. Providing teens with tools for managing stress, building resilience, and fostering genuine connections can lay the foundation for healthier, more fulfilling lives. Only then can we begin to dismantle the pressures that drive so many young people to seek solace in a vape pen.
Conclusion: Recommendations for Parents
As explored in the stories and supported by research, teens often turn to vaping as an escape from the overwhelming pressures of academic achievement, social comparison, and parental expectations. To combat this, parents can take proactive steps to foster healthier environments and equip their children with the tools to navigate stress without resorting to harmful coping mechanisms.
Here are practical recommendations for parents:
Focus on Unconditional Love and Support
Make it clear that your love and approval are not contingent on grades, athletic performance, or social accolades. Celebrate your teen’s intrinsic qualities—such as kindness, perseverance, and creativity—rather than just their measurable successes. I cannot stress this enough.Encourage Open Communication
Create a safe space for honest conversations about challenges and failures. Let your teen know they can come to you without fear of judgment, fostering trust and emotional closeness.Model Healthy Coping Mechanisms
Show your children how to handle stress constructively by modeling behaviors like exercise, mindfulness, or pursuing hobbies. Discuss your own challenges openly, demonstrating resilience and balance.Reduce Achievement Pressure
Shift the focus from relentless achievement to personal growth and exploration. Encourage your child to pursue activities they enjoy, rather than those that simply look good on a college application.Cultivate Autonomy and Self-Efficacy
Allow your teen to make decisions, take risks, and experience failure. Support them in developing problem-solving skills and the confidence to navigate setbacks independently.Promote Community and Purpose
Help your child engage in activities that contribute to the greater good. Whether through volunteering, team sports, or creative projects, these pursuits can provide a sense of purpose and connection that mitigates stress.Address Stress and Anxiety Directly
Teach your child how to recognize and manage stress through techniques like time management, relaxation exercises, and maintaining a balanced schedule. Consider seeking professional support if anxiety or perfectionism becomes overwhelming.
By prioritizing spiritual and emotional well-being over external achievements and fostering an environment of trust, understanding, and support, parents can help their teens build resilience and find healthier ways to cope with life’s challenges. These steps not only reduce the likelihood of vaping but also prepare young people for a lifetime of mental and emotional health.