Author: John Carter

Is My Child Vaping? Here’s 9 Signs to Watch For

“As kids turn to teens, it’s natural for them to push back against their parents to assert their independence and to turn to their peers for support and guidance instead,” Mopper said. Revere bought detectors with grant money from the state Attorney General’s Office. Now, Reece often gets questions from other school districts about the devices.

If you come across a discarded atomizer in your child’s room, it can be a good indication that your child has been vaping. To use a JUUL, users purchase JUUL “pods.” As the name suggests, the pod systems are e-cigs that make use of a pod as opposed to a traditional atomizer, although they pretty much serve the same function. If you happen to see discarded JUUL pods in your child’s backpack, bedroom, pockets or elsewhere, there’s reason for concern. While some vape pens can be charged with a simple USB cable, most require batteries. And, since an e-cig vape pen battery typically only lasts two hours with constant use, the battery needs to be charged regularly. If you find an unfamiliar battery or battery charging device, this could serve as another red flag that your child may be vaping.

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He advises parents to ask questions long before the subject of vaping might ever come up, and to really listen to their teen’s answers. “If parents want their kids to stay away from vaping before they start, precedents need to be set at an early age,” Mopper said. However, with the latest influx of e-cigarette related lung conditions and the reported deaths of 34 people in 24 states, it isn’t difficult to see why many parents would be upset if they discovered their child was vaping. Gore, from Antelope High School, emphasized the importance of addressing the root causes.

Understanding why teens vape

  1. “They might want to stop but have a really hard time doing so,” he explained.
  2. Therefore, if you notice your teen drinking more than they typically do or you happen to notice other signs of dehydration such as dark circles under their eyes, you may want to dive a little deeper to determine the cause.
  3. According to the Public Health Law Center, as of March 2018, JUULs represented nearly 55% of the e-cigarette retail market share and much of that growth is a result of teen use.
  4. Many youth who vape believe that what they’re using is just harmless water vapor.

And according to a recent NPR report, there’s very little standardization regarding what else goes into these products. And while cigarette use among teens had previously been on the decline, vaping has once again increased teen’s interest in, and use of, nicotine products. Boasting fruity flavors combined with convenient and often easy to hide devices, the vaping industry appears to have reached a successful target market in teenagers. A district in Sparta, New Jersey, started off with two detectors and is planning to install more. Freeman School District in Washington installed detectors a few weeks ago.

Megan Jacobs, managing director of product innovation at Truth Initiative, agrees. “Yelling or saying ‘Just stop’ isn’t a productive way of dealing with an addiction.” This is an excellent opportunity to talk about it and learn why they were doing it. Say things like, “Tell me more about what led you to vape.” and “What are some of the reasons?

Talk to Your Teen: 3 Things They Might…

Other school districts are suing Juul, blaming the company’s marketing for creating a new generation of nicotine-addicted kids. Those districts hope to get payouts that will alleviate the huge financial burden of running addiction counseling and education programs. Stepenosky received over a million dollars from the California Department of Justice, and he’s already applying for more funding for next year. Individuals and organizations can play an important role in helping youth reject or quit vaping and all other tobacco products. Working together will help ensure that all youth live healthy, tobacco-free lives. Instead of wagging the finger, invite your kids to ask questions — and ask them questions of your own, to find what what kind of pressure they’re experiencing.

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In theory, school officials could consult footage from hallway cameras to triangulate which students were in the bathroom when the detectors went off. “That also takes up time, and we don’t always have that type of time” Reece says. It may seem obvious, but make sure your kid understands that vaping comes with health risks.

Tips from teens for parents

The school even partners with law enforcement to run sting operations on businesses in the community that sell ecigarettes to minors. So far they’ve conducted over 250 operations complete with undercover officers and marked bills. In addition to talking with your teen about the potential health risks and making sure they are educated about what vaping really entails, it’s also worth asking your teen about the experience. If there is an underlying issue—peer pressure, stress, depression, boredom—for your teen’s vaping, it is crucial to take the steps to address it.

” Let them know you are concerned about their vape use becoming more frequent, but try to encourage them to keep talking by asking open-ended, non-judgmental questions. If your child is caught vaping or admits to vaping, try to stay calm and non-judgmental. Sign up for free weekly expert tips, guides, and resources to support your mental health journey—straight to your inbox.