The recent announcement that e-cigarette maker Juul had agreed to a nearly $440 million settlement with dozens of states came as welcome news to many people – especially parents of teenagers. After Juul’s sleek and attractive vaping products hit shelves in 2015, teen vaping rapidly rose in popularity, both in the U.S. and globally, to epidemic proportions. Critics have long decried Juul’s targeted marketing strategies, which they claimed were the primary driver behind the company’s ability to reach young people.

The settlement is an important step forward in holding the company accountable, explains Jon-Patrick Allem, a tobacco control expert at the University of Southern California. He points to a strong body of research that documents how Juul’s aggressive marketing practices helped hook a generation of middle schoolers and high schoolers on vaping. And he describes the risks that e-cigarettes pose for the developing adolescent brain.

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