A recent study indicates that e-cigarettes are gaining traction among young people in Germany, with even primary school children using vapes. Health experts are raising concerns.
At least Antonia S.* has no intention of continuing to smoke cigarettes. She began smoking at 18, and six years later, she transitioned to vaping. Her preferred flavor is watermelon, and a 10-milliliter bottle of e-liquid, which is equivalent to roughly 60 e-cigarettes, lasts her a week.
"I've attempted to quit smoking repeatedly. It never worked until I started vaping," the 30-year-old told DW. "I do feel that it's improved my health. But on the other hand, I think I'm far more addicted to vaping than I was to smoking. Everyone I know says they vape much more than they used to smoke."
From a consumer standpoint, vaping has the benefit of not producing the odor of regular cigarettes. Antonia also vapes at home; smoking indoors was completely off-limits, but the sweet vapor from blueberry, cola, or apple peach from her e-cigarette is not an issue. Above all, it's possible anytime, anywhere.
"You're on it constantly. With cigarettes, you might have thought, 'I only have five minutes, that's not enough,' and then you didn't light up. I don't even have to step outside to vape," said Antonia.
When would she give up e-cigarettes? "Right now, I feel like it's doing more good than harm for me. But if I became pregnant, I'd stop immediately."
Are e-cigarettes truly healthier?
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Rising number of young smokers
Health experts in Germany are concerned that young people, in particular, are increasingly turning to e-cigarettes and even regular cigarettes at a much higher rate than the previous generation. According to a recent survey, nearly 10% of Germany's 12- to 17-year-olds smoked in 2025, compared to only about 6% four years earlier. Almost 7% of this age group regularly use vapes, more than double the number in 2021.
Hendrik Streeck, the federal government's drug commissioner who commissioned the study, sees a shift in trends.
"Tobacco prevention has been effective in Germany for years, but this success no longer seems assured," Streeck said. "Starting with vapes makes young people dependent on nicotine and often leads them to also smoke cigarettes in the long run. Nicotine itself is not harmless. Nor are the additives in vapes."
The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has identified 13 additives that are harmful to health and, in some cases, carcinogenic: "Tobacco and nicotine are highly addictive products. We shouldn't downplay that. In Germany, 360 people die every day as a result of using them," said Streeck.
Tobacco industry: 'E-cigarettes less harmful'
Streeck is advocating for a ban on flavors that appeal to young people, a higher tobacco tax with the additional revenue going directly into the health system, and stricter age controls. According to the Youth Protection Act, the purchase, possession, and consumption of tobacco products and nicotine-containing products is forbidden for individuals under 18 years of age β this also applies to nicotine-free vapes.
And what about the tobacco industry? The German Association of E-Cigarette Retailers told DW that e-cigarettes are explicitly not products for young people or non-smokers.
"Regarding health risks, there is a broad international scientific consensus that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful compared to conventional tobacco cigarettes. This explicitly does not mean that e-cigarettes are harmless, but according to current scientific understanding, they represent a significantly lower-risk alternative to tobacco cigarettes for adult smokers," it said.
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Elementary school kids at risk?
For Bob Blume, the idea of a lower-risk alternative is somewhat of a double-edged sword. Germany's most famous education influencer, with nearly 240,000 Instagram followers, used to be a social smoker himself until he switched to vaping.
He told DW that he inhaled his first e-cigarette early in the morning, continued vaping happily at his desk, and as an adult, managed to stay smoke-free for over two months. That was reason enough for him to explicitly warn about the dangers of its high addictive potential on social media and in his podcast "Die Schule brennt" ("The School is on Fire").
"Vaping has a certain coolness factor and the 'coming-of-age' factor," he said. "Many teachers report that vaping is happening in school restrooms. After my video on the topic, I received comments and messages saying that it's already starting in elementary schools."
Blume observes a certain helplessness about how to address the issue: "That's perhaps something that vaping and smartphone use have in common."
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Social media influencers fuel the hype
Since e-cigarettes have only been increasingly consumed since 2010, long-term studies on their health consequences are still lacking. While scientists generally assume that the potential for cancer is lower with electronic cigarettes, researchers at Oxford University warn that vapes containing nicotine are likely carcinogenic to the mouth and lungs and more than double the risk of serious lung diseases.
To protect minors, Blume is therefore calling for a large-scale campaign against vaping β and sees well-known German influencers like Haftbefehl, MontanaBlack, and Zarbex, with their millions of followers, as also having a responsibility.
"Those influencers have a lot of power; they don't even have to be proactive vapers," Blume said. "There's my idol, who's achieved everything I want. He's cool, funny, and eloquent, and he casually buys a Porsche. And vaping is just a normal pastime. That has a huge influence, definitely."
This article was originally written in German.