You have probably noticed that the devices in teenagers' hands no longer look like cigarettes. They look like USB sticks or small candy packs, and most of them taste like fruit. Many parents are not sure what to make of it.
According to the World Health Organization, at least 15 million adolescents aged 13 to 15 now use e-cigarettes. Children in that age group are on average nine times more likely to vape than adults.
The figure sits inside a broader count. Around 40 million children aged 13 to 15 worldwide use at least one tobacco product, including 20 million who smoke cigarettes.
The agency published the numbers ahead of World No Tobacco Day 2026. The theme this year is "Unmasking the appeal: countering nicotine and tobacco addiction."
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Flavors and online marketing are driving the youth gap
Vinayak M Prasad, head of the WHO's No Tobacco Unit, said the industry is deliberately going after young users.
"Young people are being targeted by design. Flavours, slick packaging, and deceptive marketing are being used to make highly addictive and harmful products seem fashionable."
The pattern is visible in the United States. The 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey, run by the FDA with RTI International, surveyed more than 23,000 students in grades 6 through 12 between January and May.
About 89 percent of the students who vaped used flavored products, with fruit, candy and mint among the most common.
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The adolescent brain is especially vulnerable to nicotine
Nicotine does not act on a young brain the way it acts on an adult brain. The CDC states that it can harm the parts of an adolescent's brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control.
A 2025 review in Molecular Psychiatry by researchers in France sets out why. Adolescence is a sensitive window for two key signaling systems, acetylcholine and dopamine, which shape attention, motivation and mood.
When nicotine arrives during that window, the authors argue, it can leave lasting changes in those systems. The review links adolescent nicotine exposure to a higher risk of substance abuse, anxiety and depression, and schizophrenia later in life.
What parents can look for
The devices are small and often look like USB drives, highlighters or pens. Many release very little visible vapor, so they are easy to use indoors without being noticed.
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Sweet fruit, mint or candy scents on a child's clothing or in a room are often the clearest everyday signal.
Doctors recommend talking with a child's pediatrician if there are signs of nicotine dependence, such as cravings between uses or irritability when the device is not available.
As part of its 2026 campaign, WHO called on member states to ban flavored e-cigarettes and digital advertising aimed at young people.
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This article is made and published by Aksel Kryhlmand, who may have used AI in the preparation.