Vaping isn’t harmless, and kids know it. Many do it anyway.

ASH’s July 2026 research shows more 11-17-year-olds are trying vaping. They’ve heard about nicotine addiction, harsh chemicals and lung damage. They’ve heard about tampered and black-market vapes. Knowing isn’t stopping them.

For many, vaping is about looking cool, fitting in and fear of missing out. So rather than telling young people what vaping can do to their health, we show them what it could do to their image.

Because there’s one thing even the coolest kid doesn’t want to look like: a sucker.

We take the pursed-lip expression we associate with vaping and turn it into something strange: a cool-looking young person whose mouth has become faintly, absurdly puckered. No vape. No lectures. No health imagery. Just a simple thought: Don’t be a sucker.

The visual is deliberately ridiculous. It stops people in their tracks, gets them talking and prompts one question: “What am I putting in my mouth?”

The facts and health risks sit alongside the idea, giving it substance without relying on unsupported claims.