--- title: E-Cig Advertising to Young Adults Jumps 321 Percent description: E-cigarette marketing has increased dramatically on programming catering to young people canonical: https://time.com/2808969/e-cig-ads-luring-teens-and-young-adults-jumps-321/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-02T15:25:01.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T08:09:28.154Z article:section: Health og:title: E-Cig Advertising to Young Adults Jumps 321 Percent og:description: E-cigarette marketing has increased dramatically on programming catering to young people og:url: https://time.com/2808969/e-cig-ads-luring-teens-and-young-adults-jumps-321/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb55c5e66487a78be/698695c755a859159da8130c/186815315-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 186815315 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: E-Cig Advertising to Young Adults Jumps 321 Percent twitter:description: E-cigarette marketing has increased dramatically on programming catering to young people twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb55c5e66487a78be/698695c755a859159da8130c/186815315-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # E-Cig Ads Luring Teens and Young Adults Jumps 321% ## Video: Watch: The Rise of E-Cigarettes [Watch (HLS stream): Watch: The Rise of E-Cigarettes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bo5A95r5.m3u8) (2:02)  _Published 2013-12-27. A look at the rise of the e-cigarette market and why it's so divisive for many._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jun 2, 2014 3:25 PM UTC  Ary—Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jun 2, 2014 3:25 PM UTC In the last several years, advertising for e-cigarettes has spiked. And since the product is not yet regulated in the same way as conventional cigarettes, that means some particularly impressionable populations are being targeted: young people. Marketing has increased during programming that caters to adolescents and young adults, according to a new report published in the journal _Pediatrics_ shows—something that has had [activists and lawmaker up in arms for some time](http://time.com/62751/e-cigarettes-regulation-congress-report/). Advertising exposure for e-cigarettes increased 256% for young people ages 12 to 17 from 2011 to 2013\. During the same period, exposure for young adults ages 18 to 24 spiked 321%. Over 75% of this advertising was shown on TV networks that cater to these age groups including AMC, Country Music Television, Comedy Central, WGN America, TV Land, and VH1\. Over 80% of these ads were for the e-cigarette brand, blu eCigs. Specifically, the researchers report advertising was present on the top rated shows, “The Bachelor,” “Big Brother,” and “Survivor.” More than 80% of the advertisements were for a single brand, blu eCigs. Also troubling is the fact that the study authors noted a lack of public health messaging _against_ e-cigarettes. This off-balance poses health risks, they propose. There is still much we don’t know about the safety of e-cigs, or about how well they work to help people quit (see our recent [5 sketchy things we still don’t know about e-cigs](http://time.com/75508/sketchy-things-we-dont-know-about-e-cigarettes/)), but recent reports have shown [they produce carcinogens](http://time.com/90756/e-cigs-still-produce-carcinogens-study-shows/), and another recent report found they had only a modest impact on helping highly motivated people to quit. The FDA recently announced the agency is expanding its jurisdiction to cover e-cigarettes (which [thrilled the makers of such devices](http://time.com/76275/e-cig-execs-are-actually-thrilled-with-new-fda-regulations/), as we reported). It proposed a first-time ban on their sale to minors and a requirement for health warnings on products nationwide. 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