Mir website, JUUL has claimed that they only aim to target adults over the age of 21. They also have a subsection on their website titled "Youth Prevention". They have claimed that they are attempting to curb their number of underage consumers with their dedication to the T21 (Tobacco 21) laws in each state, despite the fact that their webpage and their online shop have no actual security for those consumers under the age of 21. In addition to this, they have said, "JUUL LABS IS COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THE LIVES OF THE WORLD’S ONE BILLION ADULT SMOKERS BY ELIMINATING CIGARETTES. WE DON’T WANT ANYONE WHO DOESN’T SMOKE, OR ALREADY USE NICOTINE, TO USE JUUL PRODUCTS. WE CERTAINLY DON’T WANT YOUTH USING THE PRODUCT. IT IS BAD FOR PUBLIC HEALTH, AND IT IS BAD FOR OUR MISSION" and that "We know that “social sourcing”—obtaining tobacco products from friends or siblings who are of legal age—is the main contributor to youth use". As much as JUUL is sending this message to their consumers, it's hard to say or to confirm that they're actually implementing concrete policies against underage consumption.

They also haven't said anything against nicotine, other than the fact that their website says, "These alternatives contain nicotine, which has not been shown to cause cancer but can create dependency". JUUL might only be using nicotine to keep ex-smokers hooked on e-cigarettes to give them a different rush than how it might feel to smoke tobacco or a regular cigarette, so that, if anything, they don't get lung cancer from inhaling nicotine. (It's also interesting to note that, throughout JUUL's website, nicotine is the one ingredient that they warn users about, and not any other potentially harmful chemical.) To this extent, we can only say for sure that JUUL (but at this point in my rabbit hole deep-dive, not any other e-cigarette company) is specifically targeting smokers above the age of 21 who want to put their cigarettes down. However, we know that just sending the message of "we don't want young kids to be addicted to nicotine" isn't enough. More needs to be done, both on the corporate side and the social/individual side of the issue.

https://www.juul.com/youth-prevention

Although E-Cigarettes should be targeting older people that are looking for a substitute for cigarettes, the E-Cigarette companies seems to target teenagers by making it look like a trend. There are vaping videos on social platforms that seeks curiosity non-smokers to be allured by the shapes made with smoke.

I feel like e-cigarettes companies are mostly targeting the youth or the younger population because of the flavors that are being produced. For example, many e-cigarette companies are creating child-appealing flavors like cotton candy or whipping cream flavor. According to a self-reported survey by the CDC and FDA, about 31 percent of the student respondents stated that they use e-cigarettes because of "the availability of flavors, such as mint, candy, fruit or chocolate". This is simply a marketing tactic for e-cigarette companies because they find that targeting teenage population seems to be the most effective way in building revenue compared to targeting other populations. It is not just shown with the flavors that they produce, though.

According to the truth initiative, e-cigarette companies have been heavily using social media to market and advertise their products. For example, JUUL had spent about $1 million for social media to promote images of vaping and trying to show the users that vaping is a huge trend in the 21st century. The fact that companies like JUUL use social media to promote their products fully shows that e-cigarette companies are aiming for a young population as social media is widely used by Millennials and Generation Z.

https://truthinitiative.org/news/3-main-reasons-youth-use-e-cigarettes

https://truthinitiative.org/news/4-marketing-tactics-e-cigarette-companies-use-target-youth

I think originally older smokers were targeted for e-cigarettes, them being a modern alternative to heavier smoking methods. However, in my lifetime, the demographic for e-cigs and vapes has extended to college and even high school students. In my opinion, this shift shouldn't be encouraged.