You might have heard the term ‘juuling’ being thrown around a lot recently in connection to vaping. So what is it? Well, it’s essentially the same thing as vaping, but the term relates directly to the Juul e-cigarette which are becoming increasingly popular with teenagers.
Juul’s have become trending with the young crowd due in no small part to their trendy look. Juul’s come in a range of bright colours, have a sleek design and even have their own Instagram page.
Rather than looking like a traditional cigarette like some e-cig’s, Juul’s look more like a USB flash drive. They’re easy to carry around, or conceal in the case of teenagers. The nicotine containing e-liquid canisters that go with them can pack a decent nicotine punch as well, containing more of the drugs then your average package of cigarettes.
For adult use
With the uptick in teenagers using vaping products like the Juul, the company has come out to relase a statement, clarifying that the product is intended for adult use and should never be used by under-aged people.
Juul and most other e-cigarette products are intended for use by adults over 18 years old. It’s a difficult line to walk, preventing a new generation of youth from becoming addicted to nicotine, whilst helping people hoping to give up tobacco.
A lot of work has been done to discourage young people from getting addicted to nicotine, including large anti-smoking campaigns and extensive marketing efforts to reduce the attractiveness of nicotine products, but perhaps similar marketing efforts need to be made to stop teenagers from becoming addicted to nicotine through vaping products.
How parents can manage it
Parents can play a role in preventing their teenagers from getting addicted to nicotine by arming with all the information and being aware of the signs. Knowledge will help to empower your children to make better decisions for their body. Whilst e-cigs are an excellent solution for adult users and a personal choice, it’s important to understand that nicotine is a drug and can be particularly harmful to the health and development of young people.
Nicotine can impact on the brain development and respiratory health of teenagers. Nicotine addiction can trigger mood disorders, lower impulse control and impact on attention and learning. Because teenagers brains are still developing, they are particularly vulnerable to the effects of the drug.
E-cigarette also poses some behaviour risk, as it is believed that is primes teenagers to be more accepting of and likely to engage in other drug use, such as with alcohol and marijuana, it can also put them at more risk of becoming addicted to other drugs.
Aerosols can impact respiratory health and cause lung inflammation or other issues.
Teenagers are more likely to engage in risk taking behaviour, parents need to make sure they are aware of the risks and monitor teenagers to ensure they are not taking dangerous risks with their health.
Juuling and vaping are great harm reduction methods for smokers or adults wishing to engage in nicotine use, but their use should be reserved for 18+ adults only. Even non-nicotine e-liquids can pose a risk to teenagers, so it’s important for parents and schools to monitor teenage use of e-cigs to try and prevent the behaviour from becoming an issue. E-cigs have a lot to offer but unfortunately they’ve inadvertently become attractive to the younger generation. Parents, schools and e-cig companies all have a role to play in ensuring that young people are kept away from nicotine containing products to avoid long term health impacts or risky behaviours in teens.
Dan Jones was born and raised in Australia. Dan covers stories related to vaping at Kev’s Vape.
