The frontal cortex, the part of the brain that's responsible for decision making and impulse control, is not fully formed during adolescence, making youth more likely to take unnecessary risks with their health and safety. Youth are also more at risk for long-term, long-lasting effects of nicotine exposure, like mood disorders and addiction, than adults.

The brain is still growing until about age 25, and forms connections around learned behaviors and memories more quickly than the adult brain. Because addiction is basically a type of learning, adolescent brains can become addicted to vaping nicotine in more easily than adults. Nicotine also changes the way these connections, or synapses, are formed, which can harm the parts of the brain that control attention span and learning.

Research shows that youth who vape are more likely to smoke tobacco in the future, and exposure to nicotine at an early age can also prime young brains to become more easily addicted to other drugs.