When we think about addiction, we often imagine it as something that happens slowly over time. But the strategies Big Tobacco employs are carefully crafted to hook young people quickly. Modern vaping devices are not only highly addictive but are also ingeniously marketed to appeal to teens.

In fact, according to the Monitoring the Future study, vaping prevalence among U.S. adolescents remains alarmingly high. The study revealed the following:

• 12.1% of 8th graders, 18.9% of 10th graders, and 25.6% of 12th graders vaped in the past year.
• Near-daily vaping (20+ days in the past 30 days) was reported by 1.7% of 8th graders, 4.2% of 10th graders, and 7.8% of 12th graders.

Let’s take a closer look at the five levels of vaping addiction and how they work to keep users dependent.

1. Nicotine: The Brain’s Hijacker

Nicotine is the foundation of vaping addiction. But why is it so...

Social media has become an incredibly important part of our daily lives, particularly among teenagers.

There are numerous social media platforms available for young people to connect and share their thoughts, photos, and videos with the world, ranging from Instagram to TikTok, Snapchat to Twitter.

However, as social media platforms continue to evolve and dominate our digital landscape, teenagers attitudes toward them are changing.

Teenagers are becoming increasingly aware of the negative impact social media can have on their mental health, which is one of the most significant changes in recent years.

For example, Common Sense Media recently published research on teen girls' experiences on TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and YouTube highlights how platforms can better protect their mental health.

They found that no single platform stood out as being worse than another when it comes to teen girls' mental health. Instead, specific features stood out in both...