Credit: Get The Vape Off Your Back/YouTube
BEVERLY (WBZ NewsRadio) — While smoking among teenagers in Massachusetts is declining, more and more teenagers are vaping or e-cigarettes an alternative.
About 20 percent of high school students and 10 percent of middle school students used electronic nicotine delivery products according to a 2017 Youth Health Survey by the Commonwealth's Bureau of Community Health and Prevention.
In response, a North Shore based non-profit launched an anti-vaping campaign in April.
The "Get The Vape Off Your Back" campaign is a series of videos on YouTube and Instagram featuring creepy guys whispering messages like "you crave me" and "you have to have me" to teens.
"The dangers include addiction for teens which is more quicker and much higher than adults because their brains and bodies are much more easily addicted," said Suzanne Graves who heads up the Evelyn Lilly Lutz Foundation.
Founded in 1949, the nonprofit works with Beverly Hospital to support medical research and public health education.
Graves said she's seen an explosion of vaping among teenagers who don't appreciate the risks to their health, the potential for addiction, and the burden of vaping.
"So, the creepy men on their backs are meant to portray the burden that vaping is causing to our kids," Graves said.
Graves hopes with these videos the students will get that message and use resources to help them quit.
WBZ NewsRadio's Carl Stevens (@CarlWBZ) reports