When we browse the internet, we sometimes stumble upon chats between parents who have caught their children smoking, or using the currently trendy disposable e-cigarettes. At least I quite often read comments of this kind, even under anti-smoking articles, where e-cigarettes, and even disposables, are still largely lumped together. But on other forums, parents confess even more honestly, thanks to anonymity. I feel harm reduction has taken a very wrong direction among certain parents! I myself often see disposable e-cigarettes in the hands of primary school children, as we live next to the local primary school where my daughter attends. Sometimes, you can still see young people smoking, although they are decreasing as disposable devices have gained ground. A few weeks ago, when I was waiting for my daughter in front of the school for her class to return from a school trip, a girl around 13-14 years old, quite underdressed, clearly defining herself as an adult, rolled out of school on an e-scooter. Before setting off, she pulled a brightly pink disposable e-cigarette from her handbag, took a confident puff, and then rode off. I think it is outrageous in itself that a 7th or 8th grader uses a disposable e-cigarette with such enthusiasm, and publicly at that. What is even more unbelievable is that teachers and school staff walked by with complete indifference, thinking it is perfectly fine for a minor to use an e-cigarette. What’s more, they’re on the forbidden list! Browsing the internet, one regularly comes across parents who vape and would rather give their child a mod kit or buy them a POD system, just so they don’t smoke cigarettes or disposables! Of course, it is not my place to tell parents where to draw the line, but allow me to share my opinion in an article.
Chemical castration of the developing brain’s potential with nicotine
Many people, including those in my circle, think that brain development stops at 18 years of age. This is a huge mistake!
According to neurobiology, the brain continues to develop, particularly the prefrontal cortex responsible for decision-making, impulse control, and planning, until the age of 25 (or even 30, according to some studies).
This means that no addictive substances should be introduced into the body until the age of 25, because the brain is still wiring itself, constantly developing, or rather, trying to… Whatever one messes up during this period will be extremely difficult to fix as an adult!
The brains of minors and adolescents are like sponges, building new neural connections, or synapses, rapidly day by day. When a child is exposed to nicotine in any form, nicotine mimics the brain’s natural neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. When nicotine floods the developing brain, the brain alters the way synapses are formed. Research suggests that adolescent nicotine use can alter the course of brain development, which can impair learning ability and memory in the long term!
The young brain is much more sensitive to reward responses! Nicotine is known to release dopamine. Since children’s prefrontal cortex is underdeveloped, they cannot control their impulses! Their brains learn lightning-fast to reach for an e-cigarette automatically, almost without thinking, whether out of boredom or nervousness (as school also places burdens on children, but that’s another matter). Moreover, the younger one is when encountering nicotine, the stronger and more lasting the addiction becomes! In some young people, the first signs of addiction can develop very quickly, while it takes months for an adult!
Research proves that adolescent nicotine intake directly damages the brain areas responsible for maintaining attention, and a slow but serious cognitive decline begins well ahead of time!
Cognitive decline is the gradual deterioration of cognitive and thinking abilities such as memory, attention, language use, judgment, and problem-solving. Its mild form can be a natural part of aging, but in more severe cases, it can also predict dementia!
A precursor to attention deficit disorder can be a decreasing ability to concentrate, which slowly but surely worsens academic performance, then makes long-term planning problematic, and worst of all, logical thinking can also become a major issue for someone who starts using nicotine in their teens!
Young people smoke disposable e-cigarettes because they think it calms them down and makes them look older and cooler. I don’t think vaping in adolescence is cool! Getting straight A’s, now that’s cool! Meanwhile, nicotine amplifies susceptibility to stress, which, incidentally, is a breeding ground for unstable conditions and mental illnesses such as emotional lability, anxiety, depression, and panic disorder! Overstimulation of nicotine receptors in the developing brain can trigger anxiety, mood swings, depression, and outbursts of anger!
As is known, disposable e-cigarettes contain 20-50mg nicotine salts! This means that 1 ml of liquid contains 20-50mg of nicotine, which is equivalent to the amount in 1-2.5 packs of cigarettes. For a heavy adult smoker, even 20mg would be enough to switch, but for a child, this is already an extreme, rapidly addictive dose, and 50mg can cause illness even in adults.
In essence, it chemically castrates the developing brain’s potential!
And on top of that, nicotine not only has a very negative impact on brain development, but it can also sabotage the normal physical development of the body!
Adolescence is the most critical period for building bone mass! Nicotine is a potent vasoconstrictor, especially in doses of 20-50mg, which significantly impairs microcirculation, thereby suppressing the activity of bone-building cells and inhibiting the absorption of calcium and vitamin D! The bones of nicotine-dependent children become weaker and more brittle, and they do not achieve the maximum density that would protect them from early osteoporosis in adulthood!
Nicotine directly affects the endocrine system, or hormonal balance, which begins to sharpen, function, and develop around the ages of 12-13!
In boys, it reduces testosterone levels, which can hinder normal muscle mass development and virilization processes!
- Muscle mass does not develop, and physical strength does not increase!
- Vocal cords may not thicken, thus not ensuring a deep, masculine voice!
- It can hinder the development of secondary sexual characteristics such as beard, mustache, and other body hair.
- As I mentioned, nicotine impairs microcirculation, which can damage capillaries, and there are a good number of these down there as well, so it can also interfere with the healthy development of the reproductive organs!
In girls, it can disrupt estrogen levels, leading to irregular menstrual cycles, cramps, and early ovarian dysfunction! However, the situation is unfortunately more complex for girls.
- A girl’s body undergoes an extremely sensitive, leap-like hormonal and physical transformation between the ages of 11-13. When nicotine, which is a powerful neuroendocrine (nerve and hormonal system) destructive substance, enters this process, it can cause long-term damage specifically affecting female biology! The drastic vasoconstrictive effect of nicotine also affects the capillaries of the ovaries. Poor blood supply and oxygen deprivation can damage developing and otherwise limited egg cells! This early damage can lay the groundwork for later adult fertility problems, such as infertility, and according to research, may also contribute to the onset of early menopause!
- During puberty, under the influence of the estrogen hormone, the secondary female body shape develops, which includes the formation of hips, thighs, and breasts, as well as the healthy distribution of feminine adipose tissue. Nicotine has an anti-estrogenic effect, meaning it can inhibit the normal function of female sex hormones, while potentially increasing levels of adrenal cortisol (known as the stress hormone). This can disrupt natural fat distribution. Girls who use nicotine may be more prone to the more dangerous visceral or inter-organ fat accumulation, and the elasticity of subcutaneous connective tissues can also deteriorate early, resulting in drier skin prone to acne and premature stretch marks.
- Girls are inherently more prone to thyroid problems than boys, and this organ regulates the metabolism of the entire body! Nicotine can disrupt thyroid hormone production. Although nicotine temporarily suppresses appetite, when it completely wears off, it can cause binge eating and metabolic collapse. In the long term, this can lead to the development of diabetes or PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome)!
- Breast tissue growth and differentiation (development of its glandular structure) depend almost entirely on estrogen and proper local blood circulation. Due to nicotine-induced vasoconstriction and hormonal blockage, the healthy development of breast tissues can also be hindered!
Harm reduction does not mean making nicotine acceptable for children!
I understand some people may not like what they just read, but I felt it was necessary to address this! I wish I had done so sooner! I don’t think the excuse that we ourselves got addicted to cigarettes early on and are fine now holds any water. This is about the rising generation, our children! If you feel you are fine, then you are lucky, and I hope it doesn’t turn out that you aren’t in the future. Honestly, I am still living with the fact that I damaged my body with cigarettes in certain ways back then! My short-term memory is still not the best, I suffered from vascular constriction for a long time, which still shows signs today, and headaches and migraines, malaise, impatience, and a kind of ‘don’t give a damn’ attitude were characteristic of me while I was smoking! I don’t want this for my child or any other child! I don’t want them to be impatient, to struggle to make connections between certain things, to have difficulty formulating or describing something.
The developing brain in today’s modern world already receives the maximum from everything, but its braking system, the prefrontal cortex, is not yet functioning! If we then expose this overloaded and still malleable system to nicotine, it’s like pouring oil on the fire!
Therefore, we must not be careless! I know well that you love your child and would give anything for their heart’s desire, but please, let it not be an e-cigarette! Although e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful, this figure was not measured for children, but rather indicates they are 95% less harmful compared to traditional cigarettes! Please keep this in mind!
Let’s take care of each other, our families, our children!
If your child is already using nicotine, don’t panic. The goal is not punishment, but help. Talk to them, find out why they started using it, and seek professional help if necessary. Nicotine addiction is treatable, but the sooner you act, the greater the chance of full recovery!
Thank you for reading and for sharing! Have a nice day! 
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