The Youth Vaping Problem
In recent years, vaping and the use of e-cigarettes have become a serious problem in schools. More and more teenagers are taking up vaping, and as a result, schools are struggling to find ways to put an end to it. This problem is especially prevalent among high school students but Triton Sensors also serves many middle schools which unfortunately also have an e-cigarette problem. If your school is dealing with this issue, here are a few things you can do to put an end to teenage vaping.
1. Be Vigilant of Youth Vaping
Even if you take all of these steps, there’s always going to be a risk of students vaping in school. That’s why it’s important to be vigilant and keep an eye out for any signs that students might be vaping. If you suspect that someone is vaping, don’t hesitate to investigate further and take appropriate action if necessary.
Checking for students vaping in bathrooms during lunchtime and class can help but is a strain on faculty time. Vape detectors take away the guesswork from staff. Vape detectors like 3D Sense, the most affordable vape detector on the market, send designated staff an automatic alert when students are vaping near the detector. These are especially useful in school bathrooms where most vaping tends to happen.
2. Educate Yourself On The Issue
The first step in solving any problem is educating yourself on the issue. Tobacco products have been around for a long time and schools have been dealing with nicotine addiction in students since the advent of cigarettes decades ago. However, vaping has led to a new vape of this. Learn as much as you can about vaping and its dangers. This will help you better understand the problem and come up with solutions that are more likely to be effective.
3. Talk to Your Students About Tobacco Products
Once you have a good understanding of the issue, start talking to your students about it. Make sure they know the dangers of vaping and why it’s important to avoid it. It’s also important to let them know that you’re there to help them if they need it.
If you have students who are already vaping, have a conversation with them about why they started and see if there’s anything you can do to help them stop.
4. Implement Policies and Procedures to fight the use of e-cigarettes
If you want to really put an end to vaping in your school, you need to implement policies and procedures that will discourage students from doing it. For example, you could institute a no-tolerance policy for students who are caught vaping on school property. You could also require students to take part in educational programs about the dangers of vaping before they’re allowed to return to school after being caught vaping.
Whatever policies and procedures you decide to put in place, make sure they’re well-publicized so that all students are aware of them.
5. Be Vigilant of Youth Vaping
Even if you take all of these steps, there’s always going to be a risk of students vaping in school. That’s why it’s important to be vigilant and keep an eye out for any signs that students might be vaping. If you suspect that someone is vaping, don’t hesitate to investigate further and take appropriate action if necessary.
Checking for students vaping in bathrooms during lunchtime and class can help but is a strain on faculty time. Vape detectors take away the guess-work from staff. Vape detectors like 3D Sense, the most affordable vape detector on the market, send designated staff an automatic alert when students are vaping near the detector. These are especially useful in school bathrooms where most vaping tends to happen.
6. Seek Help From Parents
Parents can be a great resource when it comes to fighting youth vaping. They can help you educate your students about the dangers of vaping and they can also be on the lookout for signs that their child might be vaping. If you suspect that a student is vaping, reach out to their parents and see if they
7. Actively Encourage Students to Quit Vaping
There are dozens of resources available to middle school and high school students to help them quit vaping. Triton lists many of these resources on our Resources page. One of the best ways to actively encourage the end of youth tobacco use is by enrolling your middle or high school students in the Truth Initiative’s “This is Quitting” text campaign. The campaign sends your students a custom-tailored message each day to encourage them to quit their use of tobacco products. This can be an especially important tool in recovery for students caught vaping.
[Visit our Resources page for a list of resources to refer students to]
8. Recognize that Youth Vaping Can Lead to Drug Abuse
Young people are vaping at alarming rates. According to the CDC, 1 in 4 high school students and 1 in 14 middle school students currently use tobacco products. Of these tobacco users, 67% of high schoolers and 50% of middle schoolers reported using e-cigarettes within the last 30 days.
The dangers of nicotine are well-documented, but many people don’t recognize that this addictive behavior can be a precursor to drug abuse in other forms. This is not always recognized by school officials because drug abuse might come years later like when students are in college or even later in their life.
9. Recognize the Difference Between High School Students and Middle School Students
High school and middle school students are at different stages of their mental development. Despite both groups of young adults being susceptible to vaping nicotine, the vaping prevention methods you use on either group should differ.
Use of e-cigarettes among middle school students very concerning. Prevention should be very focused on rehabilitation, education, and discipline should only play a role in aiding in vaping prevention.
High school students have more mature brains but are still very susceptible to vaping nicotine and tobacco products like all young adults. It is important that prevention and recovery take this fact into mind. One thing we have seen success with is peer education. Some of our schools have created curriculums led by students which are very discussion based and take the stigma away from being anti-vaping.
Vaping is a serious problem in schools, but there are things that school officials can do to put an end to it. By educating themselves on the issue, talking to their students about it, implementing policies and procedures, and being vigilant, administrators can make their schools safer places for everyone involved.