In the quiet corners of social media and electronic commerce platforms, vaping has surged in cultural popularity among youths in Singapore. With a sleek design like a pen, fruity flavours, and promise of instant calm, a vape or e-cigarette is a small battery-operated device that heats up a liquid containing nicotine and other substances to produce inhalable vapour (Academy of Medicine Singapore, 2024), captivating the curious and soothing the overwhelmed.
Further exacerbated by the rise in Kpods which are vapes laced with drugs like anaesthetic etomidate, mental health professionals are sounding the alarm on not only the physical effects but also the invisible toll – the anxiety, the mood swings, the emotional isolation that often follows. – warning that vaping may be rewiring the emotional resilience of our youths, leaving them more vulnerable, volatile and alone.
Behind every puff is a story that has yet to be told – for teenagers navigating through stressful challenges, for parents trying to decode silent struggles and problematic teenagers, and for educators witnessing shifts in classroom dynamics.
The numbers are alarming.
Vaping cases jumped from 5,000 in 2022 to nearly 7,900 in 2023 — a 58% spike – and the former year saw nearly 800 students being referred to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for vaping-related offences, compared to fewer than 50 cases in 2018 and 2019 combined (Tan, 2024). By mid-2025, most Kpod users were from ages between 15 and 40 with no prior history of drug use (Yusof & Tan, 2025).
While institutions like the National health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom cautiously support e-cigarettes as a harm-reduction tool for adult smokers, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that e-cigarette is not an effective device to quit smoking (Madhumitha, et al., 2023).
Nonetheless, this nuanced position has been dangerously oversimplified as a blanket justification for a cleaner and risk-free alternative to traditional smoking (Academy of Medicine Singapore, 2024).
Vaping may seem like a safer choice than smoking but has hidden dangers such as the health concerns caused by the presence of unregulated, cancer-causing and addictive chemicals as well as heavy metals (Academy of Medicine Singapore, 2024), leading to lungs, heart, brain and oral damage (Madhumitha, et al., 2023).
Vaping does not only alter behaviour but also reshapes emotional well-being.
Nicotine is the primary substance found in most vaping products and a significant effect on the brain. When inhaled, nicotine travels rapidly to the brain and stimulates the release of dopamine – a chemical associated with pleasure and reward – which creates a brief sense of calm and relief during periods of stress or anxiety. Over time, the brain begins to depend on nicotine in order to maintain emotional stability, leading to addiction and side effects such as depression, suicidal ideation, suicidal attempt (Academy of Medicine Singapore, 2024), mood fluctuations, increased anxiety, concentration difficulties, disrupted sleeping patterns and persistent cravings.
For some individuals, the process of quitting feels like the loss of a part of their identity while other individuals feel trapped between the desire to stop and the fear of experiencing emotional distress.
What makes vaping appealing to youths?
Teenagers often feel compelled to adopt behaviours that reflect peer approval, especially when vaping is portrayed as fashionable, harmless and socially rewarding (Academy of Medicine Singapore, 2024).
However, concealing vaping habits from parents, teachers, and trusted friends creates emotional strain, fosters anxiety, intensifies guilt, and cultivates a persistent fear of being exposed. Family relationships and friendships may weaken due to mood changes, increased withdrawal, diminished trust, and a lack of open communication.
How can youths build healthier and meaningful coping strategies?
Teenagers benefit from coping strategies that nurture emotional resilience, foster self-expression, and strengthen human connection.
- Physical activities such as sports provide rhythm, structure, purpose, and a sense of belonging, while transforming tension into strength and offering fulfilment.
- Creative outlets including painting, journaling, music, and dance serve as emotional lifelines, allowing expression beyond words, turning confusion into clarity, and pain into beauty.
- Therapeutic support offers a safe space for reflection, emotional healing, and personal growth, where trained professionals provide tools to manage anxiety, strategies to resist peer influence, and language to articulate buried emotions.
- Support systems involving family, friends, teachers, and mentors create environments of trust, recognition, and understanding, where meaningful conversations restore connection.
Many young people turn to vaping not for fun, but to cope with feelings they are unable to explain. Each puff becomes a quiet signal of struggle, wrapped in the false comfort of nicotine. Teenagers face real pressures, real emotions, and real issues that must be met with empathy, not judgment.
It is not too late to seek help.
Support exists in many forms — through open conversations, trusted adults, professional counsellors, and safe spaces where honesty is met with care. Every young person deserves to be heard, understood, and guided toward healthier ways to cope and lead fulfilling lives.
Written by Aisyah Binte Abu Bakar (Trybe Volunteer Copywriter)
References
Academy of Medicine Singapore (2024). Position paper on e-cigarettes and vaping. Section of addiction psychiatry, college of psychiatrists; College of public health and occupational physicians. Advance online publication. https://www.ams.edu.sg/view-pdf.aspx?file=media%5C7262_fi_483.pdf&ofile=%5BFor+Circulation%5D+Position+Paper+on+E-cigarettes+and+Vaping+24+April+2024.pdf
Madhumitha, M., Jayssruthi, M., Divya, D., Ganesh, C., Shanthi, M., Gurram, P., & Yamini, M. (2023). Overview of vaping impact on health. Korean journal of physiology and pharmacology, 27(3), 342–347. https://doi.org/10.25463/kjpp.27.3.2023.43
Tan, J. (2024, April 15). Vaping among youth in Singapore: The real damage it is doing to their bodies. Singapore general hospital. https://www.sgh.com.sg/news/patient-care/vaping-among-youth-in-singapore-the-real-damage-it-is-doing-to-their-bodies
Yusof, Z. M., & Tan, C. (2025, August 10). Profile of kpod user has shifted from hardcore drug users to young people: Experts. The straits times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/profile-of-kpod-user-has-shifted-from-hardcore-drug-users-to-young-people-experts
