Are e-cigarettes an alternative to regular cigarettes? Not among youth, it would seem. Oh, e-cigarettes are very popular among teens, but evidence suggests it doesn’t curb their appetite for real smokes. According to a new study, middle and high schoolers who use e-cigarettes actually are more likely to smoke real ones, as well—and less likely to quit.

Stanton Glantz, a professor of medicine at the University of California/San Francisco and the lead author of the study, believes e-cigarettes are doing far more harm than good. “The use of e-cigarettes does not discourage, and may encourage, conventional cigarette use among U.S. adolescents,” he wrote in the study.

Other experts aren’t so sure. Another possible interpretation is that youth who gravitate toward e-cigarettes were already heavier users, and thus more addicted to smoking. (New York Times)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife Wendy and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.