Gen Z is hooked on vaping

How to get a teen to quit

Cessation and prevention strategies are closely linked, and interventions can start in middle school-aged children up through high school and young adults. Simply asking a 12-year-old, “Do you know anyone who smokes?” can help start a conversation that leads to an attempt to quit.

Teens may be compelled to smoke through digital advertising and influencer endorsements on social media platforms, but Gen Z is turned off by the idea that it’s being manipulated by the tobacco industry. Juul, for example, is partially owned by Altria, which makes Marlboros, and Vuse is wholly owned by R.J. Reynolds, which makes Camel cigarettes.

“If you can get somebody to understand that Big Tobacco is trying to manipulate you as a young person to want to illegally obtain and use their products, which are incredibly addictive, thus ensuring you will remain a loyal customer, that could be the thing that pushes them over the hump,” Dr. Stepp said. “You push it away like you would push away a parent trying to tell you how to park a car in the driveway.”

And just because a smoker relapses, it doesn’t mean the cessation was a complete failure. The younger someone is when they stop smoking, the less likely they are to suffer from the long-term health consequences of smoking, according to a 2021 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “With the right counseling,” Dr. Walley said, “each relapse is an opportunity for losing the habit permanently.”

This article was adapted from the Summer 2023 online issue of CHEST Advocates. For the full article – and to engage with the other content from this issue – visit https://chestnet.org/chest-­advocates.