• Why Is Nicotine Unsafe for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults?

    • Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine—the addictive drug in regular cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products.
    • Nicotine can harm the developing adolescent brain. The brain keeps developing until about age 25.
    • Using nicotine in adolescence can harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control.
    • Each time a new memory is created or a new skill is learned, stronger connections – or synapses – are built between brain cells. Young people’s brains build synapses faster than adult brains. Nicotine changes the way these synapses are formed.
    • Using nicotine in adolescence may also increase the risk for future addiction to other drugs.