WHO Warns: E-Cigarettes Fueling Teen Addiction Surge

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised a red flag, stating that vaping is fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction among both adults and children. According to a recent WHO report, at least 15 million children worldwide are now using e-cigarettes, a worrying trend that could reverse decades of progress made in reducing tobacco use.

A Growing Concern: Children and E-Cigarettes

The WHO report highlights that while global tobacco use has declined, dropping from 1.38 billion users in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024, e-cigarettes are creating a new form of nicotine dependency. Alarmingly, in countries where data is available, children are nine times more likely to vape than adults.
Etienne Krug, WHO Director of the Department for Social Determinants of Health, warned that “e-cigarettes are hooking kids on nicotine earlier” and could undermine years of global anti-smoking efforts.

The Shift from Smoking to Vaping

E-cigarettes were initially promoted as a safer alternative to traditional tobacco and a tool to help smokers quit. However, WHO experts say these products are now attracting young users who might never have started smoking in the first place.
Recent studies show that while e-cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, the major toxins in cigarette smoke, they still contain nicotine, a highly addictive chemical that can harm adolescent brain development and affect concentration and memory.

The Scale of the Problem

The WHO report estimates that 86 million adults, primarily in high-income countries, are also using e-cigarettes. This suggests that vaping is not only a youth issue but a global public health challenge.
In the United Kingdom, for instance, despite laws banning vape sales to anyone under 18, one in four children aged 11 to 15 has tried vaping, and one in ten vapes regularly. Moreover, nicotine pouches, another emerging product, are currently unregulated by age in the UK, raising additional concerns.

The Tobacco Industry Under Fire

The WHO criticized the tobacco industry for “introducing an endless chain of new products and technologies” that sustain addiction rather than help people quit. Major tobacco companies, however, have pushed back.
A spokesperson from British American Tobacco claimed that smokeless products have contributed to declining smoking rates, but WHO maintains that such marketing tactics target the youth and distort harm-reduction claims.

What WHO Recommends

To combat this rising addiction, WHO urges governments to strengthen their control over both traditional tobacco and new nicotine products. Key recommendations include:

Raising taxes on all nicotine-containing products
Banning advertising and sponsorships for e-cigarettes
Enforcing stricter age limits on sales
Monitoring new product launches to prevent youth access

Alison Commar, the lead author of the report, emphasized that no country has achieved zero prevalence of e-cigarette use among children as young as 13. “We see young children having easy access to these products in every region,” she said.

Conclusion

The WHO’s message is clear: vaping is fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction that threatens to undo decades of progress in tobacco control. While e-cigarettes may help some adults quit smoking, their growing popularity among children poses a major global health risk. Stronger policies, stricter enforcement, and public education are urgently needed to protect the next generation from nicotine addiction.

Source: Inputs from various media Sources

Priya Bairagi

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I’m a pharmacist with a strong background in health sciences. I hold a BSc from Delhi University and a pharmacy degree from PDM University. I write articles and daily health news while interviewing doctors to bring you the latest insights. In my free time, you’ll find me at the gym or lost in a sci-fi novel.