Teens and Commercial Tobacco
Think everyone is using commercial tobacco products? Teenagers who smoke or vape are actually in the minority. According to 2023 data from the North Carolina Youth Risk Behavioral Survey (YRBS):
NC High School teens use an electronic vapor product with nicotine
NC middle school teens vape nicotine products
High School Seniors vape nicotine
High School teens smoke cigarettes
Resources are available help teens quit
Teens who use tobacco are taking a great risk of dying an early death from one of the many diseases (cancer, heart disease, lung disease) that are caused by tobacco use. If you are interested in quitting, there are resources out there just for teens.
Live Vape Free is an interactive, text-based e-cigarette cessation program for teens aged 13-17 and young adults. Young people can enroll by texting VAPEFREENC to 873373. Adults can participate in the Live Vape Free parent program to support young people trying to quit. This program is offered by our QuitlineNC vendor RVO Health.
ASPIRE is an online program to help teens quit smoking. It has different sections for students who are just experimenting with tobacco and for those who are addicted and even for those who are not interested in quitting now.
The EX Program is a Truth Initiative texting cessation program to help teens and young adults quit e-cigarette use of vaping. To participate, text "VAPEFREENC" to 88709. Parents and other adults looking to help young people quit should text "QUIT" to 202-899-7550.
The CATCH Program collaborated with researchers at Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health to create CATCH My Breath™, a youth e-cigarette, vape, JUUL, and vape prevention program specific to grades 5-12.
Quit the Hit helps you quit vaping through support from private groups on Instagram. Join a Quit the Hit group and we’ll help you cope with the stress and anxiety of quitting.