About half of teens ages 15-17 who currently vape tried to quit within the past year, according to PATH data from 2021-2023 published by UW-CTRI researchers in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. More than a third of those teens vaped on a daily (or near-daily) basis.
“The good news is, half tried to quit and around a third intend on quitting in the next six months,” said UW-CTRI Pediatrician and lead author Dr. Brian Williams. “The bad news is, few used supports which likely would raise their odds to quit vaping, such as the texting program ‘This is Quitting’ or medication.”
Going Forward
“There is a need to identify more treatments that are not only effective in helping teens quit, but are also supports that teens (and their pediatricians) will actually use to help them on their quit-vaping journey,” said co-author and UW-CTRI Researcher Dr. Jesse Kaye. “However, it’s important that teens know that smoking regular cigarettes is more harmful to their health than vaping so, when trying to quit, do not swap out your vape for a cigarette.”
Williams agreed and added it underscores the need for new clinical guidelines for pediatricians on the topic.
Among adolescents who attempted to quit in the past year, the most frequently reported quit method used was an app (8.9-16.0% from 2021-2023), whereas few adolescents reported using nicotine-replacement medications (4-6% from 2021-2023) or prescription medications like varenicline or bupropion (2-4% from 2021-2023).
Kaye and Williams pointed out the study had the limitation of the PATH data only including those who had tried to quit but were still vaping; those who had successfully quit vaping were not included.
Want Help to Quit Vaping?
Go to LiveVapeFree.com, call the Tobacco Quitline (800-QUIT-NOW), or ask your doctor if varenicline is right for you.
Williams BS, Kaye JT. (2025) Vaping Cessation Methods Used by Adolescents. JAMA Pediatrics. Online July 7, 2025.
The research was supported by funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (K08/MSN276344) and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (AWD00003494).