Breaking Through the Smoke: Combating the Risks of Youth Vaping
Parneet Deo
Doctor of Medicine, Class of 2029
University of British Columbia
Neha Matharu
Social & Behavioural Health Sciences, Class of 2026
University of Toronto
Abstract
Vaping has emerged as a public health crisis, particularly among youth, with serious health and societal implications. Youth are disproportionately targeted by unethical marketing practices that exploit their vulnerability through appealing flavors, sleek devices, and implicit advertising tactics. This article highlights the alarming rise in vaping among adolescents, particularly in low-income communities, where the density of retailers near schools exacerbates the issue. Drawing from firsthand experiences, the authors recount their efforts to combat vaping through community-centered interventions, including targeted educational outreach and a mentorship program.
The “Fresh Start Mentorship Program,” rooted in evidence-based strategies, provided one-on-one support to help students quit vaping in Ontario, Canada. Personalized approaches focused on fostering trust, addressing underlying mental health challenges, and equipping youth with the tools to resist social and marketing pressures. A case study of a mentee, who we supported over the course of one year, illustrates the emotional toll of addiction and the transformative potential of supportive mentorship.
We advocate for expanding these initiatives by partnering with schools and health organizations, building larger mentorship teams, and continuing advocacy against unethical marketing practices. This work underscores the power of community engagement and mentorship in reducing youth addiction rates and fostering healthier lives, emphasizing the need for long-term, evidence-based approaches to public health challenges.
Introduction
In recent years, vaping has emerged as a significant public health crisis, particularly among youth. Notably, the onset and use of vaping products among youth have been linked to both short-term and long-term health effects, including but not limited to addiction, respiratory issues, and brain damage[1]. Additionally, adolescents who vape are at a greater risk of mental health issues such as depression, suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts[2].
What began as a safer alternative to smoking has evolved into a global epidemic. According to the 2022 Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 17% of students in grades 7 to 12 reported using a vaping product in the past 30 days[3]. Similarly, the 2022 Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey highlighted an increase in youth vaping, with 14% of youth aged 15 to 19 stating they vaped in the past 30 days, compared to 4% of adults aged 25 and older[3]. The aggressive marketing tactics of vaping companies have played a critical role in this surge, targeting youth with appealing flavours, sleek devices, and misleading advertisements that promote vaping as a safe, trendy habit[4]. One such example is the expansion of vaping product flavouring, with 42% of Canadians aged 15 and older reporting they most often use fruit flavours[5]. Many studies have also found that media promotions of e-cigarettes have led to an increased positive perception of vaping for youth[6]. Although the promotion of vaping products and related brand elements is prohibited, implicit advertising still occurs[7].
Growing up in a community where recreational drug use was common, we witnessed firsthand the rise of vaping among youth, specifically high school students. As vaping products became more accessible, we were motivated to advocate for lung health and the impact of vaping among youth. However, we realized that traditional anti-vaping campaigns were often aimed at adult smokers, failing to reach younger audiences. To address this within our community, we shifted our approach to a mentorship program to empower youth to become discerning consumers in the face of unethical advertising. The “Fresh Start Mentorship Program” provided confidential support and evidence-based techniques to help with vaping cessation in students, offering the guidance and encouragement needed to succeed in their recovery.
This article sheds light on the unethical marketing practices of vaping companies which disproportionately affect youth, and describes our experience launching a mentorship program to help students quit vaping. The overarching aim of this article is to highlight the power of community-centred support and the importance of addressing health-related issues with a long-term, evidence-based perspective.
Navigating Addiction: First-Hand Experiences in Youth Support Vaping in Low-Income Communities: A Closer Look
The rise of vaping among youth can be attributed to several unethical practices employed by vaping companies. From placing stores near schools to creating flavours and designs that entice youth, these companies have made vaping seem harmless and even fashionable to a vulnerable demographic[4]. Youth, in particular, are susceptible to these messages, often lacking the tools to critically evaluate the risks of vaping.
A 2016-2019 study by Seale and colleagues (2023) found that the majority of Ontario schools have at least one vaping retailer within walking distance, with schools in lower-income neighbourhoods having more than twice as many nearby retailers as those in higher-income areas[8]. This disproportionate concentration of retailers in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities reflects patterns consistent with commercial redlining and targeted marketing practices. These findings align with data reported by Health Canada, where 55% of students reported it would be “very easy” to get an e-cigarette[8,9]. The strategic placement and proximity of vape shops near schools and low-income neighbourhoods has heightened the availability and risk of addiction among youth. Given that our community is also considered a low-socioeconomic status (SES) environment, this issue is particularly pronounced in the youth residing there. For instance, one high school in our community is surrounded by five specialty vape shops within a five-minute walk, not including gas stations and other retailers that also sell vaping products.
Educational Outreach and Youth Engagement
We began our advocacy efforts for the Fresh Start Mentorship Program by partnering with community members within the Peel District School Board to deliver targeted, youth-focused presentations at local high schools, community centres, and school-led wellness events. These sessions were presentations designed to be interactive and age-appropriate, incorporating visual media, real-world examples, and guided discussion to engage adolescents in critical conversations about vaping. We specifically highlighted how vaping companies manipulate marketing through appealing flavours, sleek device design, influencer culture, and implicit advertising strategies that frame vaping as socially acceptable and low-risk.
In addition to addressing health consequences, we discussed the financial and logistical barriers to quitting, as many students perceived vaping as a cheaper alternative to cigarettes. Using cost breakdowns and scenario-based examples, we demonstrated the cumulative financial burden of nicotine addiction and contrasted short-term affordability with long-term economic and health costs. We also shared practical cessation strategies, including identifying triggers, reducing access to vaping products, and seeking peer or adult support. While these presentations were met with strong engagement and positive feedback, they also revealed that education alone was insufficient. Many students expressed a need for individualized, confidential support, prompting us to expand our efforts beyond awareness and toward personalized mentorship.
Addiction, particularly among youth, often stems from deeper issues such as loneliness, peer pressure, and low self-esteem[10]. Many of the students we spoke with expressed feelings of isolation, and while resources existed for adults seeking to quit smoking, few programs addressed the unique challenges faced by adolescents with vaping. The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology stress the need for effective interventions, as no medication is currently FDA-approved for vaping cessation, and many users struggle to quit without assistance, further highlighting the need for social support [11].
One student, who wanted to quit but lacked familial support, shared: “Thanks for sitting beside me as I quit. I’m too scared to tell my family about this, and my friends would never understand.” This sentiment reflects the isolation many adolescents experience during addiction and underscores the need for confidential, non-judgmental support systems.
The Stages of Change Model is something we incorporated into our mentorship. It explains behaviour modification as a cyclical process that happens when changing habits, such as quitting vaping. The stages include precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and relapse, as this model also recognizes that setbacks can happen, and require circling back to other stages without giving up[12]. When reflecting on the Stages of Change model, many students who sought one-on-one support were in the preparation and action stages, showing they were ready to make a change [12]. But quitting any habit is tough, and moving all the way to maintenance can be especially hard with something addictive like vaping. As one student explained, “vaping isn’t just one habit to quit. It’s a series of routines that are part of daily life, like filling up our vapes at lunch on the way to get food or taking ‘washroom breaks’ between classes.”
For this student, vaping was really tied to being with friends. It wasn’t just about the nicotine, it was part of social hangouts and everyday routines. So, our support focused on helping her stay socially connected while avoiding vaping. Together, we worked on strategies such as having a drink or snack in hand instead of a vape, stepping aside for a moment without joining in, and having simple ways to say no if friends offered a vape. The idea was to keep her part of the social scene while building small habits to break the vaping routine. By focusing on these social triggers, our peer mentorship program could provide support that felt realistic, non-judgmental, and doable for her day-to-day life. Eventually, this made it easier for her to reject peer pressure and find alternative ways to connect with her community around her, which involved exploring hobbies and interests, joining school clubs, and making new friends! Having a mentor allowed her to circle back to us anytime she needed someone to talk to, and we were able to provide those strategies and feedback as needed. The feedback we provided aided in this, even in a one-year follow-up.
From Awareness to Action: Building a Mentorship Program
Studies have shown that mentorship, particularly in low-SES communities, can be pivotal for changing youth outcomes and reducing the chances of drug use[13]. In response, we launched a mentorship program that provided confidential, one-on-one support for students within our community struggling with vaping addiction. Informed by research, such as the Health Canada Guidelines and the American Lung Association’s recommendations, we aligned our mentorship program accordingly to foster a connection through honesty and using realistic goal setting and attainment to promote cessation strategies[13,14,15].
One of the most impactful experiences in this program was mentoring a high school student who had started vaping due to peer pressure. Initially, she approached us to seek help with her addiction but was hesitant to fully engage. We witnessed the toll that withdrawal was taking on her; she became irritable and distant, and her once bubbly personality was overshadowed by frustration and anger. Over the course of a few weeks, with a great amount of patience and empathy, our mentoring sessions became a safe space for her to express her struggles. We used a participatory approach to co-develop personalized coping strategies with her. Additionally, by sharing stories of friends who had successfully overcome addiction, we were able to offer both hope and practical advice.
Supporting someone through addiction recovery is an emotional journey, and the trust built through our mentorship program was crucial in helping students feel seen and understood. Through these one-on-one relationships, we were able to offer not just information, but also genuine human connection, which was often what these students needed the most.
Conclusion & Future Directions
Moving forward, we see great potential to expand our mentorship program and establish partnerships with local schools and health organizations. This includes building a larger team of mentors to be able to support more students in low-SES communities. We hope to maintain long-term contact with our students to provide continued support even after they successfully quit vaping. Additionally, we aim to raise awareness about the unethical practices of vaping companies through research and policy recommendations, ensuring that the next generation of adolescents is better equipped to resist unethical marketing pressures.
On a personal level, this experience has taught us the importance of community-centered interventions and the power of mentorship in combating addiction. We have learned that true advocacy goes beyond disseminating information; it requires building trust, addressing emotional needs, and working closely with individuals to support their health journeys. As a mentor, it can be discouraging seeing relapses happen, but understanding students' lived experiences really helps redefine goals to create meaningful and lasting change.
As vaping continues to rise globally, the preventative and protective role of society is crucial for students. From a global health perspective, youth vaping reflects broader inequities in health access, regulation, and protection of vulnerable populations. Community-driven, mentorship-based interventions offer a scalable and culturally adaptable model to address addiction worldwide, particularly in settings where youth are disproportionately targeted by harmful commercial practices. By focusing on youth, we can significantly impact both local and global efforts to reduce the health risks associated with vaping, empowering individuals to lead healthier lives.
References
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Meet the Authors
Parneet (BDC and MBDC) is a first-year medical student with interests in public health, mentorship, and women's health. She is currently working with the PRISM team to examine patient-reported outcomes following breast cancer surgery. Her previous research has spanned oncology, NAFLD, and women's health, reflecting her broad interest in improving patient care through research. Outside of medicine and research, Parneet enjoys practicing yoga and going for walks. If she's ever late replying to an email, it's probably because she's doing one of those.
Neha Matharu, MPH, is a recent graduate of the Master of Public Health program in Health Promotion at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Her work focuses on health equity, health policy, and community-engaged research, with particular interests in mental health, women's health, and improving health outcomes for underserved populations. She is currently a Researcher with Reach Alliance at the University of Toronto, where she examines innovative approaches to healthcare delivery in rural communities. Neha is passionate about advancing equitable, evidence-informed health systems by bridging research, policy, and practice.
