We’ve all seen the un-skippable, “Vaping is a Virus” ads on YouTube.Some people believe them, others just bring their Juul back to their lips and inhale, claiming that it isn’t even that bad.Isn’t it their choice anyways? 

As young as third grade, I remember my school told me that was what would happen if I ever smoked, a scary thought for a kid with two parents that smoked around me all the time.What if my lungs already looked like that? Because of that, I swore to never smoke.

Now, I understand peer pressure and the desire to rebel.But even with having tried it, and coughing up a storm, I never saw the appeal.Why would someone willingly sign up for an addiction? As I grow older, I understand some of it, but never enough.Cigarette smokers say that their depression, obesity, and other chronic issues they have had because of cigarettes have improved when vaping according to vittana.org.

According to Hopkins Medicine many teens believe that vaping is less harmful and cheaper than cigarettes while also having more than 7,700 fun flavors. These flavors lead to a younger audience wanting to try vaping, and even succeeding.

One quora.com question was particularly disheartening.“I’m 13 and I really want to vape.But how do you buy one online?” While you have to be 18 to buy a vape online due to the nicotine in them, you can buy them with someone’s account and delete the receipt.

A North Carolina discovery study showed that, out of 98 orders by 11 teens from ages 14 to 17, only five were rejected due to age.In total they successfully made 75 orders because of other website issues with 18 orders.What’s really disturbing is that not a single company had the teens confirm their age when it was delivered – 95% of the time, the packages were just dropped off at the door. I can’t stop you if you want to vape, but I wouldn’t recommend it.