--- title: Teens Who Use E-Cigs Are More Likely to Start Smoking, Study Says description: New research suggests e-cigarette use among young people could be a gateway to conventional smoking canonical: https://time.com/4001564/teens-e-cig-tobacco/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-18T15:07:01.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:31:41.738Z article:section: Health og:title: Teens Who Use E-Cigs Are More Likely to Start Smoking, Study Says og:description: New research suggests e-cigarette use among young people could be a gateway to conventional smoking og:url: https://time.com/4001564/teens-e-cig-tobacco/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbe8301bc8df924a9/6987788ecd6848d752098f4c/e-cig-electronic-cigarette-smoke-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: TIME.com stock photos E-Cig Electronic Cigarette Smoke og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Teens Who Use E-Cigs Are More Likely to Start Smoking, Study Says twitter:description: New research suggests e-cigarette use among young people could be a gateway to conventional smoking twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbe8301bc8df924a9/6987788ecd6848d752098f4c/e-cig-electronic-cigarette-smoke-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:33 video:published: 2015-08-19 section: health topics: e-cigarettes, tobacco harm reduction, smoking cessation, public health policy, youth nicotine use, public perception of health risks genre: news, explainer tones: informative, cautious, analytical emotions: concern (medium), curiosity (medium), hope (low) sentiment: neutral audience: general news readers, smokers considering quitting, public health professionals, parents people: Public Health England director organizations: Public Health England, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention products: electronic cigarettes, conventional cigarettes content_suitability: health controversy [00:43-01:33] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Teen E-Cigs Smokers More Likely to Turn to Cigarettes: Study > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=e8501fc8-6348-436b-aa82-c345eab7cb18&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: So, E-Cigs Might Be Way Less Harmful Than Actual Cigarettes [Watch (HLS stream): So, E-Cigs Might Be Way Less Harmful Than Actual Cigarettes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/JVvlZ8r7.m3u8) (1:33)  _Published 2015-08-19. A study says electronic cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes and advocates promotion of e-cigarettes as a way to help people quit._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video reports on a Public Health England review finding electronic cigarettes far less harmful than conventional cigarettes, and on rising public misperception that e-cigarettes are equally or more dangerous. It notes a Public Health England director's view that this misperception may keep smokers from quitting, and that local stop-smoking services should support e-cigarette use as a path to quitting. It also covers the controversy over youth use, contrasting the Public Health England findings with a CDC study showing e-cigarettes are the most used tobacco product among high schoolers. ## Key points - Public Health England reviewed evidence and found electronic cigarettes to be 95% less harmful than conventional cigarettes. (00:03) - Most chemicals that cause smoking-related diseases are not found in the electronic version of cigarettes. (00:10) - The share of people who believe e-cigarettes are as dangerous or more dangerous than regular cigarettes rose 14% since 2013. (00:18) - A Public Health England director said this misperception may be keeping millions of smokers from quitting. (00:31) - The director suggested local stop smoking services should support e-cigarette users in their journey to quitting completely. (00:37) - Public Health England's study found an overwhelming majority of e-cigarette users are former tobacco users and found no evidence that e-cigarettes lead children to smoke regular tobacco. (00:45) - A CDC study published earlier this year found e-cigarettes had become the most used tobacco product among high schoolers. (00:59) - Critics worry that efforts to boost e-cigarette popularity with adults will translate to increased use among children, since both product types can contain nicotine. (01:18) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:37] Public Health England's harm finding and public misperception. The review's 95% harm estimate, the chemical comparison, and the rise in people who think e-cigarettes are as dangerous as cigarettes are presented. - [00:37 to 00:45] Quitting support for smokers. A Public Health England director urges stop-smoking services to support e-cigarette users in quitting completely. - [00:45 to 01:33] Concerns about youth e-cigarette use. Public Health England's findings on adult users are contrasted with CDC data on high schoolers and critics' concerns about nicotine and youth addiction. ## Key quotes - [00:03] narrator: "Public Health England recently published a review that found electronic cigarettes to be 95 % less harmful than conventional cigarettes." - [00:31] narrator: "A director at Public Health England said this misperception may be keeping millions of smokers from quitting." - [00:59] narrator: "But a Centers for Disease Control. Prevention study, published earlier this year, found e- cigarettes had become the most used tobacco product among high schoolers." - [01:18] narrator: "Critics worry that steps to increase e- cigarettes popularity with adults will translate to an increase in use among children." ## Questions this video answers - How much less harmful are electronic cigarettes than conventional cigarettes according to Public Health England? [00:03] - Why might public misperception about e-cigarettes be a problem for smokers? [00:31] - Who uses e-cigarettes according to Public Health England's study? [00:45] - What did the CDC study find about e-cigarettes among high schoolers? [00:59] - Why do critics worry about promoting e-cigarettes to adults? [01:18] ## Content suitability - health controversy [00:43-01:33]: Debate over e-cigarette appeal to youths and whether promotion could increase child nicotine use. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Aug 18, 2015 3:07 PM UTC A study says electronic cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes and advocates promotion of e-cigarettes as a way to help people quit. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Aug 18, 2015 3:07 PM UTC Teenagers who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to report using conventional tobacco products like cigarettes, hookah and cigars, [new research](http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2015.8950) suggests. Researchers looked at 2,530 students from 10 Los Angeles public schools. They asked the teenagers about their smoking and vaping activities and found that teens who had used e-cigarettes were more likely to report using tobacco products over the next year compared to teens who had never used e-cigarettes. The findings were published Tuesday in the journal _JAMA._ The researchers cannot conclude from their data that using e-cigarettes _leads_ a teen to use other tobacco products. More research is needed to determine if the link is causal. However, they suggest it’s unlikely that the number of teens who use both e-cigarettes and other tobacco products can be entirely attributed to teens already smoking and then trying e-cigarettes later on. “These results raise the possibility that the association between e-cigarette and combustible tobacco use initiation may be bidirectional in early adolescence,” the authors write. **MORE:** [E-cigs Are the New Cool Thing for Teenagers](http://time.com/3633431/e-cigarettes-teens-smoke/) Some view e-cigarettes as a healthier alternative to tobacco. However, both e-cigarettes and tobacco products contain nicotine, which is addictive, and some research shows that e-cig [flavors are dangerous](http://time.com/3822831/ecig-flavors/) and that the devices, too, produce potentially dangerous byproducts when heated. Since data suggests that teenagers are [increasingly using e-cigarettes](http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2015/p0416-e-cigarette-use.html), some public health experts are worried. “Adolescents may be especially susceptible to develop nicotine addiction after e-cigarette exposure because their brains are still developing and are particularly sensitive to nicotine,” writes Dr. Nancy A. Rigotti of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in a [corresponding editorial](http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2015.8382). The researchers also note teens may be more likely to use e-cigarettes before other combustible tobacco products due to a perception that they are not harmful or addictive. The fact that e-cigarettes are sold in different flavors can be attractive to young people, the authors argue, and in some cases it remains easy for teens to get access to them due to a lack of regulation. ## Transcript [00:00] Cigarettes is becoming less and less of an all inclusive [00:03] term. Public Health England recently published a [00:06] review that found electronic cigarettes to be 95 % less [00:10] harmful than conventional cigarettes. Most chemicals [00:13] that cause smoking- related diseases are not found in [00:16] the electronic version. The number of people who [00:18] believe e- cigarettes are just as dangerous or more [00:21] dangerous than regular cigarettes has jumped 14 % [00:25] since 2013, however. And perhaps, counterintuitively, [00:28] The over- cautiousness worries some researchers. A [00:31] director at Public Health England said this [00:34] misperception may be keeping millions of smokers [00:37] from quitting. He suggested that local stop smoking [00:40] services should look to support e- cigarette users in [00:42] their journey to quitting completely. Completely. [00:43] Debates over E- cigarette's appeal to youths has [00:44] caused some controversy. Public Health England's [00:44] study, however, found an overwhelming majority of [00:45] E- cigarette users are former tobacco users and [00:57] found no evidence that E- cigarettes lead children to [00:59] smoke regular tobacco. But a Centers for Disease [01:02] Control. Prevention study, published earlier this year, [01:05] found e- cigarettes had become the most used [01:08] tobacco product among high schoolers. And almost [01:10] half of all middle and high school students who [01:13] smoked one type of tobacco product used multiple [01:16] types. Critics worry that steps to increase e- cigarettes [01:18] popularity with adults will translate to an increase in [01:19] use among children. Both e- cigarettes and [01:23] regular cigarettes can contain nicotine. 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