The number of teenagers vaping in school
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the number of high school students using e-cigarettes has increased dramatically in recent years. In 2015, just over 3% of high school students reported using e-cigarettes. By 2017, that number had jumped to over 11%. Now, more teenagers than ever are vaping a greater variety of vape products than ever. A 2020 CDC study found that over 38% of high schoolers and 20% of middle schoolers vape, and there is no end in sight. This includes traditional nicotine vape as well as marijuana vape devices.
Vaping in schools has created a substantial economic impact, on the schools, students, and the broader community.
How much money schools are losing to teenage vaping
Addressing the vaping problem is a big economic cost for schools with vaping outbreaks. Since regulating vaping usually falls on teachers and other school officials, their time addressing vaping is not spent on more productive tasks like teaching. In some schools, dealing with vaping takes up more than 10% of teachers’ time. Think about how much better spent each teacher’s valuable time would be on other tasks.
Not only does vaping affect schools economically through faculty resource allocation. There is also a considerable vandalism problem spurred by vaping in bathrooms. This leaves many school districts with costly repairs to make on a regular basis. In some cases, schools have resorted to fining students who vape to offset these large costs.
Other negative effects of teenage vaping
As you probably know, vaping has been declared an epidemic among teenagers. And it’s not hard to see why. Vaping is highly addictive, and can lead to the use of other tobacco products. With addition comes many negative consequences, both to students and to society. For example, students who vape are more likely to have poorer grades and are more likely to miss school. They’re also more likely to engage in other risky behaviors, like drinking alcohol or using drugs.
The economic costs of teenage vaping don’t stop there. Vaping can also lead to long-term health problems, which can be with vapers for the rest of their life and in many cases cut their life short.
What can be done?
Teenage vaping has been proven to be an economic and moral cost to schools and society. There is no silver-bullet approach to solving it but getting it under control requires a multi-faceted approach.
First and foremost, schools that want to address vaping need to create a comprehensive vaping policy that is well-enforced. This will help to cut down on the time teachers spend addressing vaping, as well as the monetary costs of school repairs.
In addition, communication with parents is vital as they need to be more informed and aware of what their children are doing. This includes looking for signs of vaping and having conversations with their children about the consequences of vaping.
Schools can also take measures to better monitor vaping. 3D Sense is an innovative vape detector that has proven to help schools catch vapers in the act. Schools that use 3D have seen a significant reduction in vaping on campus.
Click here to read our page about school vaping resources.