What Parents Need to Know About Teen Vaping

Many teens across the country struggle to resist the pull of vaping. Just like smoking was the trend decades ago, vaping has become the latest craze among young people.

The illegal nicotine vapes you see everywhere aren’t helping either. 

With their bright, cartoonish packaging and wide selection of fruity flavours, they’re designed to catch the eye and lure people in. 

You’ll find them in convenience stores, tobacconists, and even kids’ toy shops, making them hard to avoid—especially for teenagers.

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Parents should be aware that these enticing vapes are 100% illegal and pose serious risks to health. 

Keep reading to learn more about vaping and what you need to know to protect your loved ones.

Nicotine Addiction and Adolescent Brain Development

No teenager is safe from the harmful effects of illegal vapes.

The nicotine content in many of these illicit products is dangerously high, and shockingly, they’re often available in places you’d least expect.

Be cautious, as some illegal vapes falsely claim to contain safe levels of nicotine or are even labelled as ‘nicotine-free’ just to bypass import laws.

Nicotine is highly addictive, and once you start, it’s easy to become dependent on it for an indefinite period.

That’s why when you or someone you know tries to quit smoking, the awful withdrawal symptoms can kick in just hours after the last cigarette or vape.

This is especially concerning for young people because their brains are still developing until around age 25.

Regular nicotine consumption can interfere with areas of the brain responsible for attention, mood, and impulse control, as well as hinder cognitive and skill development.

Adverse Health Effects

Illegal vapes are nothing like the NVPs you find legally in pharmacies, which are manufactured to strict safety and health standards. 

The vapes you might come across in shady corner shops can cause serious respiratory damage to anyone using them.

Here’s what you need to know, especially if you or your child is thinking about buying vapes from anywhere other than a pharmacy:

• Cancer-causing chemicals: Recent lab findings have detected high levels of nickel and lead in illegal vapes. Inhaling these substances can be extremely harmful, especially for children with more sensitive lungs.
• Contaminated e-liquids: A study in New Zealand found traces of human saliva in some e-liquids, which could expose users to various infections and illnesses.

If you’re a parent, it’s important to know that young people who frequently use these products are much more likely to face serious health problems as they get older.

Unscrupulous Advertising and Marketing

Here’s one of the most dangerous facts about vaping: when you have dozens of cool influencers, candy flavours, and cartoon-laden colourful packaging to advertise illegal NVPs, it’s easy to attract and create a new generation of nicotine addicts.

Overseas manufacturers are keen to position their products as ‘safe’ while also being a trendy lifestyle choice, making the younger generation think that vaping is harmless and cool.

And, when they do try it, the enticing candy and dessert flavours conveniently mask the harshness of nicotine, encouraging them to keep on using the product.

Aside from the unscrupulous marketing and widespread availability in place, teenage peer pressure and curiosity are typically huge factors in the spread of illegal NVPs – you’re not part of the ‘tribe’ if you won’t even try a single hit.

Unfortunately, it may only take one hit to get addicted.

The rapid spread of illegal NVPs goes hand in hand with the harmful selling practices of criminal groups; the very same ones importing recreational drugs and illicit tobacco. 

At a wholesale cost of as little as $1 with a mark-up of 3,400%, there is no concern with quality or safety, only maximum profits. These are achieved by:

• High, unregulated levels of nicotine (as high as 357mg of it per disposable vape) to hook your children as fast and hard as possible;

• Zero manufacturing or ingredient standards (hint: lead and saliva aren’t medical-grade ingredients); and

• No age verification or concern for the lifelong harms they’re aiding in creating.

Lack of Regulation and Safety Concerns

When these criminal parties are involved, there’s no concern for anyone’s safety – only how much they can make per sale. If they’ll sell heroin, vapes are a cakewalk.

If overseas manufacturers are willing to have their products smuggled into the country and sold illegally, they send a clear message they’re only concerned with profits.

These manufacturers aren’t bound by any standards on product safety, characterization or identification of e-liquid ingredients and vapour compounds, or any medical manufacturing standards on equipment and facilities.

You simply don’t know what your child is inhaling.

Monitoring and Communication

As parents, we want our children to grow to their fullest potential. It can be problematic when they develop a bad habit early – but like all harmful behaviours, teen vaping can be addressed from a place of good monitoring and proper communication.

Now that you know more about vaping, hopefully it’s clear that your teens aren’t really to blame – teens can be susceptible to the pressure of fitting in, and they’re being specifically targeted from multiple angles.

It’s important to remember back to your days at school, dealing with the pressures of being a teenager and wanting to fit in. Many of us also snuck a puff behind the school bathrooms.

It’s best to stay on their level when discussing the potential risks of vaping. Empathise with them, especially if you yourself had experimented with things in your youth.

Letting anger take control during discussions (easy to do, given the alarming facts about illegal vaping) will not help the situation. Instead, create an open dialogue and hear their reasons for vaping, and their perspective on it. 

Be open to how they feel about vaping and make them understand that they can approach you if they feel something is wrong or they would like to get support for quitting vaping.

Creating an open environment that respects your child paves the way for a relationship that involves you in the process, benefits both parties, and can lead to the motivation to quit.

Setting a Positive Example

Parents are the first models that children imitate, so setting a positive example is greatly important.

If you’re a current smoker or vaper, this is a great motivation to start considering quitting the habit. It gets even better if you and your teenage children can go through your quit journeys together.

How to Help Them Move Away from Vaping

Having a quit mate, even if they’re your child, makes it easier to quit the habit. You can go through new experiences and activities and serve as each other’s support systems.

Empower their ability to quit by encouraging them to be mindful of their choice in the face of peer pressure, curiosity, and nicotine dependence. 

Doing so encourages them to talk to you openly without judgement and need your guidance as the best way to move forward with quitting vaping and their other crucial decisions in life in the future.

Reminding and empowering each other to be mindful of their urges – especially after they give in – ensures you and your teenager will continue to proceed towards kicking vaping and smoking for good.

Summary

Parents should be mindful and take responsibility in helping their teenagers quit vaping for good. 

The marketing tactics of blackmarket vape suppliers paired with peer pressure will often entice teens to use these harmful products, but by empathising, respecting their authority on themselves, and setting a good example, you can help them kick vaping for good and develop a strong bond that can last a lifetime.

We know you’re reading this because you’re concerned about teen vaping. If you’re also looking to quit smoking or vaping for good, we can help you become a good role model to your child.

Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around! 

If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good.

Link Reference:

• https://www.kidspot.com.au/news/melbourne-kids-shop-caught-allegedly-selling-tobacco-products-amongst-toys/news-story/f3b6cec7ac2b3da48c9db66cf9e2feb5
• https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/Quick-Facts-on-the-Risks-of-E-cigarettes-for-Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults.html
• https://www.bbc.com/news/health-65614078
• https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2023/08/paddy-gower-on-vaping-shocking-facts-uncovered-about-the-known-and-unknown-health-risks-of-e-liquids.html
• https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7zb37/we-got-your-vapes-tested-in-a-lab-heres-what-we-found