Youth vaping surges in Germany; experts warn of nicotine dependence

A recent German study shows e‑cigarette use is spreading rapidly among young people, alarming health experts who warn the trend fuels nicotine dependence and new health risks.

Usage rises, regulators call for limits on flavours and sales

Antonia S. (name changed) stopped wanting to smoke conventional cigarettes and switched to vaping after she began smoking at 18. Now 30, she says her favourite e‑liquid flavour is watermelon; a 10‑millilitre bottle, she says, is the equivalent of about 60 cigarettes and lasts her a week.

Antonia told reporters: "I kept trying to quit smoking. It never worked until I started vaping. I feel like it made me healthier. But at the same time I think I'm much more dependent on the vape than I was on cigarettes. Everyone I know vapes a lot more than they would smoke." She says vaping is easy to do at home and at any time, unlike cigarettes, so use becomes more frequent.

The study found that in 2025 almost one in ten young people aged 12 to 17 in Germany had used e‑cigarettes, up from about six percent four years earlier. Nearly seven percent in that age group vape regularly — more than double the share in 2021.

Hendrik Streck, the Federal Commissioner for Drugs who commissioned the research, warned that hard‑won progress in tobacco prevention is at risk: "Tobacco prevention in Germany was successful for years, but that success is no longer guaranteed. Starting with vaping creates nicotine dependence and often leads young people to conventional smoking. Nicotine is not harmless, nor are the additives in the devices." The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has identified 13 additives that are harmful and in some cases carcinogenic.

Streck also stressed the human toll: "Tobacco and nicotine create a strong dependence. We must not minimise that. In Germany every day 360 people die as a result of their use." He is proposing bans on attractive flavours, higher tobacco taxes and tighter controls on sales to young people.

Industry groups contest stricter limits, arguing e‑cigarettes are intended for adult smokers and that there is a broad scientific consensus they are substantially less harmful than conventional cigarettes. Public‑facing voices and educators, however, report vaping is present even in school bathrooms and say influencers who normalise the behaviour contribute to its spread.

Researchers warn that long‑term studies are still lacking because widespread vaping began only around 2010. While many scientists judge the cancer risk lower than for tobacco smoke, Oxford researchers have cautioned that nicotine vapes can be carcinogenic for the oral cavity and lungs and more than double the risk of serious pulmonary disease.

Photo: press material from the event