The vaping epidemic is out of control. The demographic at stake is young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 especially. E-cigarette use among young adults in the U.S. jumped 46.2% between 2017 and 2018, and that number has only continued to grow in 2019 into 2020. Though this is harrowing news, there is some good in the midst of it all.
Apple to the Rescue
Apple has decided to take a stand and ban all vaping apps from the app store. This includes those that control vaping devices. According to www.forbes.com, Apple is the number one company on the Top Ten list. This means that arguably the most famous and important company in the world is doing something that not many others have even thought about.
The Tipping Point
This big change happened after the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia announced that there had been 42 deaths and over 2,000 lung injuries tied to vaping. Apple has already removed 181 apps from its platform.
However, Apple also stated that apps already downloaded will continue to work. In fact, they will be transferable to new device purchases. This caused caused some outrage among users.
Pioneers
Other companies have attempted to cut down on content that affects growing minds. Facebook and Instagram banned content relating to alcohol and tobacco back in July. A spokeswoman said that the policy will entail the prohibition of all private sales, trades, transfers, and gifting of alcohol and tobacco products on Facebook and Instagram. If there are any brands that do post content related to it, they will have to restrict it to adults who are 18 or older.
No matter what we take away from this, at least there are people trying to limit the exposure to harmful substances. Our brains typically don’t stop developing until our mid-twenties and even into our early thirties. This is one of many reasons that we need to be done with vaping as a society. Apple is on the way to hopefully starting a revolution among other companies that rule the world.
