When we browse the web, we sometimes stumble upon chats taking place between parents who caught their children smoking, or using the currently very popular disposable e-cigarettes. At least I quite often read comments of this nature, 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 that harm reduction has taken a very wrong turn among some 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 becoming fewer and fewer since disposable devices have gained ground. A few weeks ago, it happened to me when I was waiting for my daughter in front of the school for her class to return from a school trip. Suddenly, a girl around 13-14 years old, quite underdressed, already visibly defining herself as an adult, rolled out of school on an e-scooter. Before she took off, she pulled a bright pink disposable e-cigarette out of her purse, took a confident puff, and rode off. In my opinion, it’s outrageous in itself that a 7th or 8th-grade young person uses a disposable e-cigarette with such enthusiasm, and moreover, publicly. It’s even more unbelievable that teachers and school staff walked by with a complete look of indifference on their faces, thinking it’s perfectly okay for a minor to use an e-cigarette. Let alone, disposable e-cigarettes should be banned! Browsing the internet, one can regularly come across parents who vape who would rather give their child one of their own kits or buy them a POD, just so they don’t smoke cigarettes or disposables! Of course, it’s not my place to tell parents where the line should be drawn, but allow me to share my own opinion in an article.
Chemical castration of the developing brain’s potential with nicotine
Many people, including those in my circle of acquaintances, think that brain development stops at 18. This is a huge mistake!
According to neurobiology, the brain’s development, especially the prefrontal cortex responsible for decision-making, impulse control, and planning, is still developing until the age of 25 (according to some research, even up to 30).
This means that no addictive substance should be introduced into the body until the age of 25, because during this period the brain is still wiring itself, constantly developing, or rather, trying to… What one messes up at this age will be extremely difficult to fix as an adult!
The brains of minors and adolescents are like sponges, building new neural connections, or synapses, at a rapid pace, 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 at lightning speed 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). Furthermore, the younger the age at which someone encounters nicotine, the stronger and more lasting the addiction that develops! In some young people, the first signs of addiction can develop in a very short period, 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 tough cognitive decline begins well before its 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 even indicate dementia!
A precursor to attention deficit disorder can be a decreasing ability to concentrate, which slowly but surely worsens academic performance, then long-term planning becomes problematic, and worst of all, logical thinking can become a major issue for someone who starts smoking nicotine in their teens!
Young people smoke disposable e-cigarettes because they think it calms them down and makes them look more adult and cooler. I don’t think vaping in teenage years is cool! A straight-A report card, 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!
Disposable e-cigarettes, as is known, contain 20-50mg of nicotine salt! This is a brutal dose even for an adult! This means that in a single puff, you can take in as much nicotine as is found in 2-3 packs of analog cigarettes!
Essentially, it chemically castrates the potential of the developing brain!
And on top of that, nicotine not only has a very negative impact on brain development but can also sabotage the body’s normal development!
Adolescence is the most critical period for bone mass buildup! Nicotine is a potent vasoconstrictor, especially in doses of 20-50mg, which significantly impairs microcirculation, thereby suppressing the function of bone-building cells and inhibiting the absorption of calcium and vitamin D! The bones of nicotine-addicted children will be weaker, more brittle, and will not reach the maximum density that would protect them from early osteoporosis in adulthood!
Nicotine directly affects the endocrine system, or hormonal balance, which begins to become active, functional, and develop around the age of 12-13!
In boys, it reduces testosterone levels, which can inhibit normal muscle mass development and masculinization 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 beards, mustaches, and other body hair.
- Since, as I mentioned, nicotine impairs microcirculation, which can damage capillaries, and there are quite a few of these down there, 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 between the ages of 11-13 undergoes an extremely sensitive, rapid hormonal and physical transformation. 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 already 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 development of early menopause!
- During puberty, under the effect of estrogen, secondary female body shape develops, which involves the formation of hips, thighs, and breasts, as well as the healthy distribution of feminine fatty tissue. Nicotine has an anti-estrogenic effect, meaning it can inhibit the normal function of female sex hormones, while potentially increasing adrenal cortisol (this is called the stress hormone) levels. This can disrupt natural fat distribution. Girls using nicotine may more frequently develop 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 early stretch marks.
- Girls are inherently much 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 fully leaves the system, it can cause binge eating and metabolic collapse. This can lead to diabetes or the development of PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) in the long term!
- Breast tissue growth and differentiation (formation of its glandular structure) depend almost entirely on estrogen and adequate local blood circulation. Due to nicotine-induced vasoconstriction and hormonal blockade, the healthy development of breast tissues can also be hindered!
Harm reduction does not mean making nicotine acceptable for children!
I understand if some people won’t like what they just read, but I felt I had to address this for a while! I wish I had done it sooner! I believe that the excuse that we also got addicted to cigarettes quickly back then, and nothing is wrong with us now, is not valid. This is about the growing generation, about our children! If you feel nothing is wrong with you, then you are lucky, and I hope it won’t turn out in the future that something is wrong after all. Honestly, I’m still living with the consequences of damaging my body with cigarettes in certain respects back then! My short-term memory is still not the best, I suffered from vasoconstriction for a long time, the signs of which are still present today, headaches and migraines, feeling unwell, 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 have difficulty finding 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, isn’t functioning yet! 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 lighthearted! 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 statistic was not measured for children, but rather that 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, do not panic. The goal is not punishment, but help. Talk to them, find out why they started using it, and seek professional help if needed. Nicotine addiction is treatable, but the sooner you act, the greater the chance of full recovery!
Thank you for reading and sharing! Have a nice day! 
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