Vaping – what parents need to know and how to talk to your kids

THERE has been a sharp increase in the use of vapes in recent years – with the numbers of young people using them rising rapidly.

More than 40 per cent of children and teenagers say they’ve tried vapes by the time they reach S4.

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Now the Scottish Government has launched a campaign to tackle the rocketing rates, highlight the health risks – and urge parents to talk to their kids now, before they try it.

It is vital to get the message about the possible dangers across to them early.

The sooner you start this conversation, the better. You’ll find all you need to know as a parent, including the health risks for children and young people – and how to help them – right here.

One of the main issues with vapes – which often look like everyday items such as pens or USB sticks – is that it’s not yet known what the long-term health impacts are.

But what experts do know is that vapes – which are illegal for retailers to sell to under 18s and for adults to buy for under 18s – can contain nicotine and may quickly become harmfully addictive to children and young people, affecting their mood, mental health and sleep.

Nicotine addiction can affect their ability to concentrate and learn and, in the long term, it is possible that vaping could harm the health of their hearts and lungs.

Public health expert Professor Linda Bauld, from the University of Edinburgh, says that, while vapes are much less harmful than cigarettes, they still contain toxic chemicals and carcinogens – substances that can cause cancer – and many contain nicotine too.

She explained: “Many of these products contain nicotine, which is addictive, so children and young people who start using vapes are more likely to keep using them and become dependent.

“We know nicotine addiction can affect young people’s mental health, with nicotine withdrawal making them feel stressed and anxious and it can also affect their ability to study or disrupt their sleep.

“Vapes are significantly less harmful than smoking cigarettes or tobacco, but they still contain chemicals that can irritate the lungs.

“If the toxins and carcinogens in vapes build up in the body over a long time we may see a link with things like some types of cancer, but we do not have that evidence at the moment.

“There is simply not enough data to know what the long-term health risks of vaping are, because these products have not been on the market for long enough. It could be 10 years before that information is available, so we should be really cautious.

“We have concerns about the possible future impact on the lungs of young people who are using vapes now.”

WHY ARE YOUNG PEOPLE VAPING

YOUNG people start vaping for a number of reasons including:  

Peer pressure or influence

Social image

They think the health risks are lower compared to cigarettes

They want to ‘just give it a try’

They like the flavours

Another key point – especially relevant to young people who are increasingly concerned about climate change – is the environmental impact of disposal vapes.

Two years ago just seven per cent of young people who said they were vaping were using disposable products – last year that number was almost ten times higher, up to 69 per cent.

Disposable vapes contain batteries, so they’re difficult to recycle, which makes them harmful for the environment.

Prof Bauld continued: “The most important message for parents to get across to their children and young people right now is that vaping will have a negative impact on their health and wellbeing. “It will affect their concentration, mood, sleep and learning and we still don’t know what the long-term health impacts are, so it is better if they never smoke or vape to start with.”

Talking to young people about vaping might seem difficult or even overwhelming. But the experts at Fast Forward, a voluntary education organisation, say children like adults to be honest with them.

Chief Executive Allie Cherry-Byrnes said: “The young people we work with tell us that they’d like to be open and talk to their parents or caregivers about a range of risk-taking behaviours, including vaping, and that just because they want to talk about something, doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re doing it – they’re just keen to be informed and know the facts.”

START A CHAT

TOP tips for speaking to your child about vaping:

• The more openly you can discuss vaping, the more likely it is that your child or young person will feel able to come to you if their friends are pressuring them to try it – or if they’ve started vaping and want to stop
• If vaping comes up in a news story or in a TV programme you’re watching or you walk past a vape shop, you could use this moment to ask your child what they think about it. Make sure you listen to what they say and talk about it calmly and openly. Try to avoid lecturing them
• Read up about vaping so that you can talk to your child about the risks in a balanced, informed way. There’s no need to bombard them with information, just make sure that you know what you’re talking about. Start by taking a look at nhsinform.scot/vaping or parentclub.scot/vaping

It can be hard to know whether your child has started vaping – and some of the signs, like being more moody or irritable, are also textbook signs that they are growing up and their hormones are running wild.

Some of the more obvious signs include sweet smells, like vanilla or bubble-gum, being more moody, jittery or irritable than usual, being thirsty all the time and coughing more than usual.

Allie added: “We would encourage parents or caregivers to help young people understand the risks of vaping by sharing information with them calmly.

“Young people don’t expect them to have all the answers, but their parents or caregivers need to make valid points and deliver the facts, so they can inform young people of the consequences of taking part in vaping or other risk-taking behaviours.”

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