The age of nicotine initiation is dropping alarmingly. One in three students (34.9 percent) say they had their first exposure to nicotine when they were just 13 years old. One in four (26 percent) were 12 years old, and one in ten (10.9 percent) were 11 years old. Nicotine initiation affects even 8-year-olds, among whom 5.6 percent of students have already tried a nicotine-containing product.
E-cigarettes a gateway to nicotine addiction among students
For minors, e-cigarettes are the main gateway to nicotine addiction: as many as 73.3 percent of students identified them as the first nicotine product in their lives.
So-called "vape" (e-cigarettes), popular among young people, have overtaken even traditional cigarettes in terms of nicotine initiation, which were cited as the first nicotine product in their lives by 19.6 percent of surveyed students. Less frequently (5.4 percent of indications), young people first turn to other nicotine products, such as nicotine sachets and tobacco warmers (1.3 percent of indications).
The main reasons for young people to reach for nicotine products are, in turn: interesting flavors (53.8% of indications); the desire to try something new (32.1%); and fashion among peers and the belief that using nicotine products "looks cool." - in both cases, 10.3 percent of indications each.
Among students who use nicotine, e-cigarettes, or so-called vaping, is by far the dominant method: as many as 9 in 10 students who use nicotine (90 percent) use it from e-cigarettes. 4 in 10 (42.7 percent) admit that they currently smoke cigarettes. The use of tobacco warmers is claimed b...
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