Teens are ready to quit vaping, and they’re doing it in style!

According toTruth Initiative, almost 50 percent of 15- to 24-year-old e-cigarette usersresolved to quit vapingthis year, and in the first few days of 2020, the organization hopes to start movement with their new campaign, which encourages youths to come up with creative ways to break their vapes.

Truth is partnering with TikTok influencers to start a viral challenge showing different ways to “Ditch Their JUUL,” beginning with the “Ice Water Trick Shot.” The idea is for teens to film themselves doing elaborate trick shots to dunk (and break) their vapes in ice water. The campaign focuses on JUUL in particular because the vape brand has been popular among teens.

One influencer, Tisha Alyn, said that she decided to join in due to concerns aboutthe health risks of vaping.

“The latest data show more young people than ever are vaping, a harsh reality that becomes even more apparent through social media. This hits me close to home because this is the environment that my two younger brothers face, and I want to help change that,” Alyn said. “That’s why I’m very excited to partner with truth and use my platform to inspire kids to kick their JUULs to the curb and quit for good.”

Tisha Alyn on TikTok

Tisha Alyn(@tisha_alyn) has created a short video on TikTok with music quick2ditch. Swing and a Ditch! Duet this with your best trick shot! Text ‘DitchVAPE’ to 88709 and join This Is Quitting #truth #ThisIsQuitting #partner #fyp

Another influencer, Nick Uhas, decides to use science to destroy his vape. He takes sodium acetate anhydrous, the hot ice used in heating pads, and drops in a JUUL, which instantly reacts to the chemicals.

NickUhas on TikTok

NickUhas(@nickuhas) has created a short video on TikTok with music quick2ditch. That’s one way to quit your vape…put it on hot ice! Text “DitchVAPE” to 88709 and join This is Quitting. #truth #ThisIsQuitting #partner #science

Along with these videos, Truth is offering texting support, calledThis Is Quitting, forteens who want to stop vaping. They can text “DitchVAPE” to 88709 for free and anonymous support, and according to preliminary data publishedin the journalNicotine & Tobacco Research, after two weeks of help from This Is Quitting, 60.8 percent of users said they had reduced or stopped using e-cigarettes.

As of Dec. 27, 55 people have died and 2,561 people have been hospitalized due to vaping-related lung problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The federal agency said that teen vaping is a “public health tragedy,” with the majority of lung illness cases occurring in males aged 18 to 35, with the youngest patient being just 13 years old. A 17-year-old from New York City is the youngest to die from the vaping-related illness.

Congress has sinceraised the legal buying agefor all tobacco products — traditional and e-cigarettes — to 21, and e-cigarette companies like JUUL say theyare working with the CDC and Food and Drug Administrationto curb teen use. But currently, the percentage of U.S. high school students who use tobacco products is at the highest in 19 years, with 27.5 percent saying they vape daily.

source: people.com