‘You just wanna hit it … ‘cause like it smells like fun’: a qualitative investigation of adolescents’ experiences of nicotine vaping in Aotearoa New Zealand

To inform public policy and practice, we investigated how adolescents experience and perceive nicotine vaping. Young people have the right to be heard on this issue, and policies that respond to youth perspectives are likely to be more effective. Most of our 14–17-year-old participants (<i>N</i> = 64) did not currently vape and abstinence was an active choice associated with family values, religious beliefs, and the perceived risks vaping posed to identity, health or future aspirations. However, participants perceived vaping as highly normalised among their peers and many (including some who did not vape) found vape flavours and tricks enticing. Most who had tried vaping initially did so out of curiosity, typically in social situations where vapes were being shared. Ongoing vaping reportedly offered social benefits and helped participants cope with stress and difficult emotions. For those who vaped regularly, detrimental experiences included addiction and associated impacts on agency, self-esteem, physical fitness and financial wellbeing. Participants also described negative impacts of youth vaping on the wider school community, including discomfort accessing bathrooms at school. Our findings highlight impacts of vaping beyond physical health effects and point to the need for a comprehensive approach to prevent and address vaping-related harm.