Youth and Vaping

Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the aerosol produced by a vape device. Vape devices are known by several names including e-cigs, e-hookahs, mods, vape pens, vapes, or tank systems. They are also sometimes referred to by their brand names. Vapes contain four basic components: a cartridge or a tank to hold the e-liquid, a heating element known as an atomizer, a battery and a mouthpiece to inhale. 

E-liquid does not contain tobacco, however, most of these products contain highly addictive nicotine – the same substance found in cigarettes. In 2023, 87% of Ontario students in grades 7 to 12 who vaped in the past year, reported vaping nicotine (Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, 2023).

Concerns about youth vaping include:

• Most e-liquids contain addictive nicotine at levels significantly higher than what is found in cigarettes
• One 2mL vape can contain as much nicotine as 40 cigarettes. Vape devices that contain more than 2mL can contain as much nicotine as, up to and even more than, 300 cigarettes
• Studies have shown that nicotine addiction is stronger when youth start vaping or smoking at a young age
• The teenage brain is still developing, making youth more vulnerable to nicotine addiction
• Nicotine changes how the teenage brain develops, which can affect learning, memory and impulse control, and sometimes lead to behavioural changes
• The lungs are also still developing, and vaping can expose youth to various toxic chemicals
• The long-term safety of inhaling the substances in vaping products is unknown at this point
• Young people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future 
• Vapes are often shared between friends, which can spread communicable diseases like meningitis, mono, the flu and COVID-19. Anyone choosing to vape should use these products with extra care and refrain from sharing vaping products
• Vaping nicotine exposes youth to increased levels of stress hormones worsening feelings of stress, anxiety and depression.

Don’t be fooled by flavoured vapes

Offering flavoured vapes that have appealing tastes and smells is one of the ways that the tobacco and vaping industry targets youth. In fact, many youth who vape use flavoured vapes that taste like fruit, candy or desserts.

Although these vape products may taste or smell good, they are not harmless. Most flavoured vapes contain nicotine and other toxic chemicals.

To help protect youth, most flavoured vapes are banned for sale in many retail establishments in Ontario, with the exception of tobacco, mint and menthol flavoured vapes. Despite this ban, youth are still accessing flavoured vapes from some retail establishments, family and/or friends. For more information, see the Vaping and the Law section on this page.

Vaping laws, including the Smoke-Free Ontario Act 2017 and the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act, exist to protect health. Getting to know the laws and reporting violations to Public Health are ways you can help protect youth from the health risks of vaping.

In Ontario it is illegal to:

• Sell or supply vape products to anyone under 19 years of age
• Sell flavoured vape products in convenience stores (except for tobacco, menthol and mint flavours)
• Sell vape products which contain nicotine levels greater than 20 mg/ml 
• Vape anywhere you can’t smoke cigarettes, such as school grounds, enclosed workspaces, restaurant patios and certain public spaces such as playgrounds and sporting areas

Help keep vape products away from youth

Even though it is illegal to sell or supply vape products to minors, many youth under 19 years of age are still accessing vapes from some retail establishments, family and/or friends. These include flavoured vapes, as well as illegal vapes which contain nicotine levels greater than 20 mg/ml.

If you see it, report it

To report someone selling or supplying vape products to anyone under 19 years of age, or to report someone vaping in a prohibited place:

• Call: York Region Health Connection at 1-800-361-5653, TTY 1-866-512-6228 or
• Email: Health.Inspectors@york.ca

York Region Tobacco and Electronic Cigarette Control Officers will investigate complaints and take appropriate action.

Enforcement of vaping laws

To enforce vaping laws under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act 2017, York Region Tobacco and Electronic Cigarette Control Officers provide education and conduct routine inspections of retail establishments where vape products are sold; inspect public places and work places where it is illegal to vape; and investigate public complaints.

• Fines for selling or supplying vape products to minors start at $400.00
• Fines for vaping in prohibited places start at $250.00

For more information on vaping laws, see Vaping and E-cigarettes and Vape-free and Smoke-free Spaces.

There are many models of vaping products that come in a variety of shapes and styles, and new products are constantly emerging. Vapes and vaping can be difficult to recognize, making it hard for parents to know if their kids are vaping.

Vape devices come in a variety of shapes and sizes with some even resembling a USB flash drive. Add-ons like vinyl "skins" or wraps can also make these items harder to recognize. E-liquids can come in a variety of flavours, although vaping may not leave a lingering identifiable smell.

The best way to find out if a young person you care about is vaping is to have an open conversation with them. Keep an eye on one or more of these potential signs: 

• Changes in mood, such as increased irritability
• Changes in ability to concentrate or focus
• Increased coughing, wheezing and worsening asthma
• Sweet smells, such as fruit, dessert, or mint
• Spending a lot of time with friends who vape

If you’re finding strange electronic parts that you don’t recognize, it’s possible they could be parts of vaping devices. 

There are many reasons why youth may start to use vapes. Friends may pressure others to start using vape products. Youth may see family members vape or smoke and imitate that behaviour. Additionally, the last few years may have been extraordinarily difficult for many youth and they may think that vapes and nicotine products will help them cope with stress.

Whether you are a parent, guardian or teacher, starting a discussion with your kids about vaping may not be easy but having the conversation early about drugs and experimenting is important so that youth can get the real facts.

Parents and Caregivers play an important role

Talking with your child is a good way to help them stay tobacco and nicotine-free.

Some tips for starting a conversation about vapes and youth:

• Know your child(ren):
  • How they feel
  • What they like
  • Who their friends are
• Talk about family stories and your experience with tobacco and vaping
• Ask questions about what they know and how they feel about tobacco and vaping. Pay attention to how your questions are framed to avoid implying judgement
• Share some tobacco and vaping facts with them
• If your children’s friends use tobacco or vaping products (e-cigarettes), disapprove of the USE of these products rather than disapproving of the friends themselves
• Look for opportunities to talk about tobacco and vaping

Remember, listening is just as important as talking. Let your child lead the conversation if they are willing to.

• If you use tobacco or vaping products, you can still talk with your kids:
  • Talk about your tobacco or vape use and why you do not like it or do not want your kids to start
  • Talk about your struggles and journey to quitting
  • Talk about your hope for their good health
• If your child uses tobacco or vapes:
  • Keep calm
  • Do not scold
• Talk about the facts and ask questions that avoid judgment
• Talk about how you feel about tobacco and vaping and that you care
• Disapprove the tobacco or vape use, not the child
• Keep the lines of communication open. Try to use empathy and an empathetic tone
• Talk about the tactics used by the tobacco and vape industry to make tobacco and vaping appealing to youth. Explore how the industry tempts youth to buy these products and/or engage in behaviours that might be harmful to their health  

Teachers and community partners

Talking with youth about tobacco and vaping and incorporating nicotine-use prevention and awareness activities into your curriculum and programs can make a difference.

When talking with youth about tobacco products and vaping it is important to:

• Understand tobacco and vaping from a youth’s point of view – youth understand the issue differently based on their developmental stage
• Talk about the tactics used by the tobacco industry to make tobacco and vaping appealing to youth. Explain how the industry tempts youth to buy these products and/or engage in behaviours that might be harmful to their health
• Role play, practice and provide options on how to refuse tobacco/vape products to help youth prepare for situations involving tobacco and vaping with their peers
• Equip youth with the information, skills and the motivation they need to make informed and healthy choices

Brushing up on your short conversation skills is an effective way to engage with youth using a sensitive and non-judgmental approach that both motivates and supports them. Explore the Brief Conversations Toolkit and learn more about how you can make a life-changing impact in less than three minutes.

Resources for the classroom and community groups

Incorporate tobacco use and vaping prevention and awareness into your classroom curriculum, Healthy Schools Action Plan, or existing youth clubs and programming. The following resources can help get you started:

• Not an Experiment (Grades 7 to 12) is a digital toolkit to educate and build capacity among educators, parents and youth about vaping, including cross-curricular linked lesson plans, an interactive escape room-style activity, as well as resources to support vape-free school environments. A Game Kit is available to borrow to support this activity by contacting your Healthy School representative or email TobaccoFreeLiving@york.ca
• Consider the Consequences of Vaping (Grades 8 to 12) includes online modules for classrooms or community settings to provide youth with information on the truth about vaping. This module includes activities, videos, informative content, and discussion questions
• VIBED (Grades 9 to 12) is a youth-oriented vaping education workshop designed to be delivered by educators or adult allies to empower young individuals with knowledge about vaping and its potential health impacts
• My Vaping Mistake is a video series sharing youth experiences about how their vaping addiction affected their mental health, sport performance, friendships and more. This series comes from The Real Cost which is a public education campaign in the U.S. created by the FDA
• Academy for Tobacco Prevention  (Grades 4 to 6) is a curriculum matched resource including lesson plans and an interactive card game. A Game Kit is available to borrow to support this activity by contacting your Healthy School representative or email TobaccoFreeLiving@york.ca
• OPHEA Conversation Starter Videos (Grades 4 to 8) are designed to initiate conversations about vaping with elementary students. Engaging students in conversations about vaping helps them develop their health knowledge and the social-emotional learning skills needed to respond to situations involving vaping
• The Healthy Schools Student Club Tobacco and Vape-Free Activity Guide is a resource to support student leaders to engage their peers in understanding tobacco and vape use and promote prevention through interactive displays, games and more. For more information, please contact your Healthy School representative or email TobaccoFreeLiving@york.ca

Quitting vaping and tobacco is one of the best things someone can do to improve their health. Setbacks can happen, but remember quitting is a process that can take several tries. Research shows that the chances of quitting for good increases with every try. 

If a teen or youth in your life is looking for supports, sharing some of these resources may help:

• Quash: A free vaping/smoking quit app for ages 14-30 focusing on behaviour change strategies to help young people cut down or quit the way they want to
• Youth Nicotine and Vaping Treatment Program (CAMH): A tobacco and nicotine use treatment program provided by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). To enroll in treatment at CAMH’s Nicotine Dependence Clinic: Call Access CAMH at 416-535-8501 and select option 2 
• Stop Vaping Challenge: A free quit vaping app youth can use with friends. It allows users to earn badges, challenge friends and track cravings
• Crush the Crave: A free app that provides supportive messages, virtual awards and help to deal with vape cravings. Track the number of days you stay vape-free, amount of money saved and triggers
• Nod from 2050: A website that encourages youth to reflect on their long-term goals with respect to vaping nicotine. It is informed by research on specific techniques associated with higher success in successful behaviour change, including supporting identity change and developing a vivid mental image of becoming an ex-vaper
• Not an Experiment – Quit Plan: A free online quit plan that can be printed and is small enough to keep in a pocket, wallet or backpack. Youth can complete the quit plan online and print, or booklets can be printed and completed by hand
• I Quit for Me (Health Canada): I quit for me aims to help youth ages 14 to18 quit smoking and/or vaping. Written specifically for youth, the guide is available in digital and print formats, and can be used on their own, or as part of a facilitated group program
• Smokers’ Helpline: Offers online resources and a texting program for people looking to quit vaping, smoking or both. To join the Smokers’ Helpline text program, text  ‘iQuit’ to 123456
• Kids Help Phone: Kids Help Phone is always open, offering mental health support and a non-judgmental space to young people across Canada. Youth can learn more, build skills, connect with other youth and receiving direct counselling supports