Common Sense Media Review
By Joly Herman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Tempting images, unanswered questions in vape-heavy docu.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul
What's the Story?
In BIG VAPE: THE RISE AND FALL OF JUUL, while meeting in a courtyard with their friends to take a smoke break, two Stanford students, James Monsees and Adam Bowen, begin to ponder why smoking is so appealing to people, even though they know it's bad for them. Soon the innovators begin to brainstorm an idea for a product that would allow people to partake in the ritual of smoking without doing the harm that tobacco does to the body. Focusing on designing an e-cigarette that looks like a sleek tech gadget and delivers a big nicotine hit, they start to look for investors. How do they reach their goal? What could possibly go wrong?
Is It Any Good?
More seductive than scary, this documentary illustrates the allure of vaping while -- sometimes -- wagging a finger. It would be a feat if people who've quit vaping aren't tempted by the many minutes of French inhaling by beautiful teens in Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul. The ratio of glamorous hits off a Juul to hospital bed horrors errs on the glossy lips blowing huge puffs of mango-scented mist.
This is a fascinating docuseries that asks hard questions of the tech industry's "go fast" model. Journalists give compelling accounts of the rise and fall of a company that sought to stick a finger in the eye of big tobacco, but was ultimately big tobacco's pawn. Parents, be warned that the questions about vaping's health hazards don't get answered in a resoundingly clear manner in this series.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about integrity in Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul. What happens when a company that produces a product concerns itself more with its looks and functionality than its safety? Who's responsible for the impact of the things people consume?
Breaking an addictive habit like vaping takes tremendous self-control. When do you exercise self-control? When do you just give in to temptation?
There are lots of images of people in this series using social media to show themselves vaping. How do you resist the temptation to vape or smoke when you see it represented in shows or on social media?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 11, 2023
- Cast : Allen Gladstone
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Educational
- Topics : Activism , History , STEM
- Character Strengths : Integrity , Perseverance , Self-control
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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