Teen Vaping

Every time you listen to the news, there is another story about the dangers of vaping. It is hard to know through the concerns; How much is resonating about the dangers vaping has on teenagers? If you are not familiar with e-cigarettes commonly called “vaping”, this article may provide helpful information.

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are a battery-operated device designed to deliver nicotine and other ingredients to the user. The same nicotine found in traditional cigarettes is in this device. This new form of cigarette usage was first designed to help traditional smokers eliminate their habit, but it created and increased a once decreasing population usage among teens.

According to the CDC, the usage of e-cigarettes among teens is an “epidemic”. Since 2014, the US has seen an increase of 1.5 million youth within middle and high school using e-cigarettes as their new form of tobacco. As of October 1, 2019, the CDC released data linking lung injuries to 1,080 people. Per the CDC report, there are 48 states affected by lung injuries, and the report identifies Texas as one of those states. If this was not alarming enough, 16% of the patients were under 18 years old! If you are asking yourself, what does all this mean? You are asking the wrong question. Our question should be, what can we do to prevent our teens from this epidemic?

In the past, educating our youth on the dangers of drugs and alcohol usage included tobacco. During October, schools will concentrate on Red Ribbon Week (Drug and Alcohol Prevention) and send the message of how substance abuse can harm brain development. As a parent, extend this learning to the dangers of nicotine in the form of “vaping”. Researchers explain the brain development of a teenager is at a rapid growth because of the constant social and emotional engagement occurring within various environments like school, social gatherings, social media, and the internet. As this development occurs, teenagers may experience periods of impulsive behavior that may include emotional volatility, take additional risk, or become reactive to stress making them vulnerable to engaging in harmful activities.

Nicotine is highly addictive and can affect youth brain development responsible for attention, building memory cells and learning. Teens are at the right age to make the best decisions if provided the facts about the dangers of e-cigarettes. Do your research on the dangers of vaping so you as a parent, educator, or coach can speak on the topic and recognize the lengths some teens will go through to hide this habit.

Searching for ways to share the dangers of vaping? Host a party with your teenager and their friends that involve a safe environment, fun games, good food, and a moment of discussion about the dangers of vaping. Review the helpful resources provided below to learn more about the facts on vaping, prevention, and “stealth” vaping tools designed to disguise from educators and parents. Share this article with others including with your teenager. This new epidemic deserves a new approach to prevention. You can do this!

Resources

Youth Risk   E-Cigarette Facts   Facts for Educators and Coaches   CDC Youth Prevention   CDC Lung Injuries   CDC Statistics of Youth E-Cigarettes 

Stanford Article  Video Resource

Written by: 

Dr. Tonjia Grimble
Youth Development Director
tgrimble@ymcadallas.org