Why Educators Should Take Immediate Action Against Vaping in Schools

In recent years, vaping has emerged as a significant health concern for students across the country. While initially marketed as a safer alternative to smoking for adults, the reality is that vaping has rapidly infiltrated schools, posing serious risks to the well-being of young people. As an educator, principal, or school administrator, it’s crucial to understand the urgency of addressing this issue and take immediate action. The health and safety of your students depend on it.

vaping devices or electronic cigarette on a wooden background

The Growing Vaping Epidemic in Schools

The rise of vaping among teens is alarming. According to the CDC, more than 2 million middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2021, with a significant percentage becoming regular users. Many students view vaping as a harmless activity, often lured by sleek devices and a wide variety of appealing flavors. However, this perception couldn’t be further from the truth.

E-cigarettes contain addictive substances like nicotine, which can have a profound impact on the developing adolescent brain. Furthermore, many vaping products are not regulated, which means students could be inhaling harmful chemicals or substances without even knowing it. The presence of vaping in schools not only poses health risks but also disrupts the learning environment.

The Impact on Students’ Health

Vaping is often promoted as “healthier” than smoking, but this claim obscures the real dangers. Nicotine, the primary ingredient in most vaping products, is highly addictive and can lead to long-term health complications. For young people, nicotine exposure can:

  • Impede Brain Development: Nicotine affects areas of the brain responsible for attention, learning, mood regulation, and impulse control. This can result in long-term cognitive deficits that negatively affect academic performance.
  • Increase Risk of Addiction: Adolescents are more susceptible to addiction, and vaping can lead to dependence on nicotine, which may increase the likelihood of using traditional cigarettes or other harmful substances.
  • Introduce Harmful Chemicals: Many vaping devices contain toxic chemicals like formaldehyde and heavy metals, which can damage lung tissue and lead to respiratory issues.

Why Schools Must Take Action

While parents play an essential role in addressing this issue, schools are often where vaping behaviors are first noticed. Educators and administrators have a responsibility to create a safe, healthy learning environment for all students. Ignoring or minimizing the impact of vaping in schools can lead to:

  1. Increased Health Risks: Students who vape regularly face the possibility of long-term health consequences, including respiratory problems, heart issues, and even seizures in extreme cases.
  2. Academic Decline: Nicotine addiction can affect students’ concentration and ability to perform well in school. Schools may see a drop in overall academic performance as students struggle to focus.
  3. School Safety Concerns: The use of vaping devices in schools, especially in secretive settings like restrooms or locker rooms, creates a hidden culture of substance use. Students may feel emboldened to experiment with other risky behaviors when vaping is left unchecked.
  4. Legal and Ethical Responsibility: Schools are responsible for the well-being of their students during school hours. Failure to address known health risks, like vaping, can lead to legal repercussions and damage the school’s reputation.

How Schools Can Combat Vaping

Taking action against vaping requires a multifaceted approach that includes education, prevention, and enforcement. Here are some steps schools can take:

  1. Implement Vaping Education Programs: Schools should incorporate comprehensive programs that educate students about the risks associated with vaping. Platforms like VapeEducate provide online courses specifically designed to help students understand the dangers of vaping. These courses can be easily integrated into health classes or school-wide initiatives.
  2. Increase Awareness Among Educators and Staff: Teachers, counselors, and administrators need to be trained on the signs of vaping, the risks, and how to intervene effectively. Providing staff with the right tools to identify and address vaping behavior can make a big difference.
  3. Partner with Parents: Schools should work closely with parents to address the vaping epidemic. Hosting informational sessions or sending home resources about the dangers of vaping can help create a unified front against this growing issue.
  4. Strengthen Policies and Enforcement: Schools need to have clear, well-enforced policies regarding vaping. Students should know that vaping is not allowed on school property, and violations should come with appropriate consequences.
  5. Provide Support for Students: Many students who are caught vaping may already be addicted to nicotine. Offering support, such as counseling or addiction resources, can help students quit and prevent future use.

Conclusion

Vaping in schools is not a problem that will solve itself. It’s an urgent issue that requires educators to take immediate and decisive action. By raising awareness, enforcing strict policies, and offering educational resources like VapeEducate, schools can create a safer and healthier environment for all students. Together, we can fight back against this dangerous trend and protect our students from the long-term consequences of vaping.

If you’re ready to take the first step in educating your students about the risks of vaping, consider exploring the VapeEducate platform to see how it can help your school lead the charge against vaping.

5 SIGNS TO SHOW THAT YOUR CHILD IS VAPING

It is safe to agree that parenting is well and truly the toughest and most complicated job in the world. If most parents had their way, their children would stay young forever. This is because as children begin their teenage years and eventually grow into adulthood, the task of parenting becomes monumentally difficult. 

Nowadays, the level of peer pressure between teens can only be referred to as crazy. It is no news that at the teen level, children tend to be as adventurous as they possibly can in an effort to tick off their “bucket list”. During this stage (usually between 13 and 19), children develop and mature physically, emotionally, mentally, morally and socially. This is the period during which your child struggles to build an identity or personality, and the identity he/she tries is influenced monumentally by the environment and social pressures. One of such social pressures which is rapidly gaining popularity is the issue of vaping.

What is Vaping?

The legalization of cannabis in various parts of the United States and the world, in general, has inherently led to the growth of the vaping industry. In recent years,  vaping – the act of inhaling and exhaling or vapor (aerosol) through the use of hand-held battery-powered devices such as e-cigarettes, pens, and pods – has taken the world, youths especially by storm. Its increasing popularity has led to continuous innovation in an effort to create the best and most comfortable method of vaping, which is considered by teens nowadays as a form of bonding, association or fun.

What most people do not know is that vaping is seriously harmful to health. Most of the liquids (commonly referred to as e-juice or e-liquid) vaporized and inhaled from these devices contain nicotine and other additives which are harmful upon ingestion. Vaping, just like traditional cigarettes, comes with a plethora of negative effects including asthma and bronchitis. In addition, it also negatively impacts the development of the brain thereby impacting memory, learning, and focus. Vaping is also a doorway to the consumption of more addictive and illicit drugs. A report published by the CDC confirms that over 4.9 million middle and high school students acknowledged their use of tobacco in 2018, a steep increase from the reported 3.6 million students in 2017. 

Due to constant innovation, devices used for vaping (or Juuling as it is sometimes called) are increasingly inconspicuous in look and size, and as such, it is easier for teens to conveniently hide this habit. Also, most vaping devices produce an odorless or flavored smell which makes it increasingly difficult for parents to detect. So, it might be difficult to know whether or not your child vapes, after all, the adventurous nature of teens makes them open to experimentation every now and then.

How then can you know whether or not your child is vaping?

Signs to Show that Your Child is Vaping

As previously mentioned, the vaping industry is constantly innovating and improving vaping devices in an effort to enhance the experience and keep selling. And because teens are the primary consumers of these products, it is important for them to make products that are inconspicuous in size, look, and smell. This, however, does not mean that it is impossible to know whether or not your child is vaping. 

With a little bit of vigilance, you can tell for sure whether or not your child is vaping by looking for the following signs.

  • Nose bleeding. 

During vaping, vapor (vaporized e-juice) is pulled from the device into the mouth and then exhaled through the nostrils. Due to the lack of moisture during exhalation, the skin of the nose dries up and eventually cracks and bleeds. Also, e-liquids contain dehydrating chemicals that dry up the inside of the nose, triggering frequent nosebleeds. If your child suffers from frequent nose bleeds, you might want to check twice to make sure it is not as a result of vaping.

  • Constant Thirst

This is a somewhat common sign of vaping. People who vape suffer from dehydration – it is a pretty common side effect. One of the chemicals used in making e-juice is Propylene Glycol. This chemical has a dehydrating effect as research has discovered that it holds water molecules in, making absorption by the body impossible. As a result, the vaper is left constantly in need of water to rehydrate the body. So, if you see your child increasingly craving liquids or urinating more often, there is a high chance he/she might be vaping.

  • Vaper’s Tongue

The name itself is self-explicit – the tongue of a vaper. To enjoy the flavor of food requires moisture. This explains why we salivate when we perceive the aroma and taste of food. A dry mouth loses its perception of flavour. Constant vaping compromises this perception of flavor because of its ability to dehydrate and dry up moisture. The absence of flavor perception as a result of vaping is what is referred to as Vaper’s Tongue. So, if your teen suddenly starts enjoying unusually spicy foods or keeps reaching for the salt during meals, this may be a sign that he/she is a vaper.

  • Avoiding Caffeine

Combining caffeine and nicotine (found in most vaping devices) may sometimes lead to increased levels of anxiety and/or mood swings. This might cause someone who usually takes coffee or soda to suddenly start avoiding these to reduce these effects. So, if you notice that your child suddenly stops gulping sodas or Starbucks, it could be a call for concern. 

  • Abnormal Pens and Devices

For convenience sake, most vaping and Juuling devices come in a variety of forms. While some resemble traditional pipes, cigars, and cigarettes, others look like pens and USB sticks. Juuls, for example, look like sleek USB sticks and are very inconspicuous. Despite their similarities, most of these devices still look abnormal and unusual. So, if you come across such devices in your home, you should consider it as a red flag.

Apart from the signs discussed above, there are still a number of signs you might want to look for when suspecting your child of vaping – sleep disturbances, unusual emotional tantrums, unexplained sweet scents, pneumonia and discarded Juul pods and atomizers. The most important thing to do, however, is to educate our children on how risky vaping truly is. Most of them vape for fun with little or no knowledge of the inherent risk. 

While others argue that vaping is better than smoking, the World Health Organization stresses the effects of vaping and even goes ahead to suggest that vaping is a gateway to addiction for teens and young adults. It is therefore important to help educate our children on this issue by creating Vape Education Programs geared towards helping children learn about the dangers of vaping. 

Sources

https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/youth-and-tobacco/2018-nyts-data-startling-rise-youth-e-cigarette-use

https://health.usnews.com/wellness/for-parents/articles/2018-07-27/how-to-tell-if-your-kid-is-vaping

https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/HealthU/2019/04/02/signs-that-your-kid-may-be-vaping/