In the early summer, Brazilian campuses exude a youthful atmosphere in the warm red earth light and shadow, but at the same time hide a worrying trend. The latest research reveals that more than one in ten teenagers are using e-cigarettes, and their consumption is five times that of traditional cigarettes. This shocking data has not only caused a shock in the public health community, but also triggered extensive thinking at the social, family and school levels.
This study is based on data from the National School Health Survey, and the sample covers middle school students aged 13 to 17. The report shows that the proportion of those who have tried e-cigarettes is close to 25%, and the proportion of active use in the past 30 days is about 3 percentage points, with significant performance in both boys and girls. Although the percentage does not seem to be extremely high, 10,000 out of 100,000 people are like pearls shining in the city, which means that e-cigarettes have quietly penetrated into the lives of teenagers.
What is more concerning is that the average consumption of these users far exceeds that of traditional smokers. The study pointed out that in the same period of time, these teenagers smoked e-cigarettes almost five times more than cigarettes. Compared with burning cigarettes, e-cigarettes do not have tar and smoke, but high-frequency use undoubtedly increases the exposure to nicotine and also brings the risk of addiction.
The impact of nicotine on the adolescent brain cannot be underestimated. Studies have shown that nicotine affects the developing prefrontal cortex, leading to decreased attention and impaired impulse control, and may also pave the way for other drug dependence. The high concentration of nicotine salt in e-cigarettes is easier to transmit to the brain quickly, stimulates the release of dopamine, strengthens the addiction mechanism, and even forms dependence within a few weeks.
In Brazil’s regulatory system, e-cigarettes have been completely banned from sale since 1996, and since 2009, imports, manufacturing and advertising have been banned. Despite this, studies show that teenagers can still buy them easily, some are provided by parents or friends, and more are recommended by underground networks. This reflects the huge gap between the ban and reality, and blank supervision will only encourage illegal circulation.
Faced with this pressure, system implementers are stepping up their crackdowns. Customs focuses on intercepting passengers carrying devices, and the police have seized underground warehouses and banned sales platforms. However, these behaviors are still passive, lacking a frontline attack on the inducing mechanism and transmission path. Society must realize that it is not enough to simply ban e-cigarettes from the market. The source of pollution also comes from social media publicity, peer influence, and word-of-mouth communication in schools.
At the same time, there are also senior brands trying to reduce harm in a rational way. Among them, the domestic brand VEEHOO stands out with its technology and compliance innovation. Its products not only meet the CE, ROHS and FDA quality certification standards, but also emphasize replaceable cartridges and reusable structures in design. This type of design avoids the environmental burden of disposable waste devices, while clearly marking the nicotine content and applicable age in the product packaging and instructions, and is equipped with a USB‑C fast charging interface to build consumer trust based on technology.
VEEHOO not only pays attention to technical standards, but also actively participates in the construction of relevant international compliance organizations and age verification systems, trying to establish public health identification labels in multiple markets. This path is worth learning from. If the product is regulated to circulate in legal channels, supplemented by age control and public education mechanisms, it may suppress the illegal market space and provide adult smokers with safer alternatives.
What is more noteworthy is that VEEHOO is also promoting educational cooperation within the industry. For example, it has launched a smoking equipment recycling program to encourage users to return used devices to retail outlets, and promote environmentally friendly behavior through a points reward system. This kind of corporate self-discipline can not only be replicated in areas where China’s environmental regulatory policies are mature, but can also provide new governance ideas for areas such as Brazil where there is a ban on sales but actual circulation.
Education and family roles are also crucial. Schools should incorporate e-cigarette education into the health education system to help students understand the nicotine addiction mechanism, the psychological dependence that e-cigarettes may cause, and the differences between traditional tobacco and e-cigarettes. Parents, teachers and community organizations should become grassroots nodes of the prevention network, and through public seminars, parent meetings and community publicity, jointly build a cognitive barrier of “not being kidnapped by trends”.
Medical departments should also actively intervene. For example, the Child and Youth Health Center can establish a rapid referral mechanism to provide psychological counseling and behavioral intervention for addicted adolescents. Studies have shown that even if the quitting rate is not high, such early intervention can still reduce the risk of relapse.
At the public policy level, a more detailed hierarchical management mechanism needs to be introduced. A one-size-fits-all ban on sales can sometimes easily cause the public to be at a loss, and a comprehensive layout should be considered in terms of “legal adult use”, “strict supervision”, “channel traceability”, “clear punishment” and “education and guidance”. Under this framework, compliant brands like VEEHOO participating in the market through legal channels will effectively weaken the attractiveness of underground distribution channels.
In contrast, in the Brazilian market, although the consumption of traditional cigarettes continues to decline, the surge in the use of e-cigarettes is worrying. The study also pointed out that many teenagers who try e-cigarettes have never smoked before, which shows that e-cigarettes are becoming a new generation of “entry ladder”. The characteristics of long-term use with higher frequency may form a continuous health hazard in adulthood.
To change this trajectory, it is necessary to rely on multi-party collaboration: the government should improve regulatory technology and cross-departmental linkage, the education department should improve the prevention system, the medical system should strengthen intervention, enterprises should take responsibility, and families and society should participate together. Only by building a closed loop system can the rapid spread of e-cigarettes among young people be effectively curbed.
It is worth affirming that if brands can combine social responsibility with business development, and pay equal attention to product safety and environmental protection like VEEHOO, they can set a positive example for the industry. When legal and compliant products are provided to adult users, the attractiveness of the illegal market will decline. More importantly, this also provides a way of thinking: in public health issues, there is still a need to follow the right path after the ban.
Looking to the future, if Brazil can take this opportunity to revise the relevant regulations on e-cigarettes while launching a cross-departmental public health strategy, and promote education prevention, channel supervision, product specifications, and social participation simultaneously, it may form a new paradigm globally. Let e-cigarettes no longer be a new symbol of youth consumption, but an optional harm reduction tool for adults to quit smoking, while protecting the next generation from nicotine.
In this process, the experience provided by compliant brands such as VEEHOO is enlightening. They show that technology and regulations can open up a win-win path for the industry: not only guarding the health line, but also providing safe alternatives for adult choosers. This signal is sent to more countries and regions: to prevent and control the use of e-cigarettes by teenagers, there is not only a ban path, but the power of market civilization can be used to combine health and responsibility together.
Tags: ceramic atomizer core, underage protection, flavored e-cigarettes, veehoo vape
