Kids and Teens sometimes make bad choices due to peer-pressure. Keep reading for how to keep your kids and teens from vaping.
According to the Safety and Health magazine, 42.5 percent of 12th graders and 37 percent of high school seniors vape. That means at least 1 in 3 teenagers in high school indulge in this bad habit.
Most of the kids who indulge in this habit, don’t know any better. They typically do it because it makes them look cool and trendy. As with most teenagers, peer pressure can cause them to do just about anything; even if they instinctively feel that it’s not right.
This is why you need to find ways to keep your kids and teens from vaping. Of course, this might be harder to do seeing as vaping teens tend to hide the habit. And when they do so, they probably do it in rebellion.
But, if you take the right steps, the odds of preventing them from vaping will increase dramatically. But before we jump into what you need to do, let’s define what vaping, e-cigarettes and juuling are.
Understanding these terms will help you clearly differentiate between all three, and show your kids that you know what you’re talking about.
What is Vaping?
This is the act of inhaling vaporized aerosol from vaping devices or e-cigarettes. These vapors usually have fine particles which are often mistaken as water vapor. Most vapers assume that this is not dangerous because of the vapors.
But, there’s no concrete proof that they aren’t. In fact, there are speculations that these vapors often contain toxic chemicals that can cause cancer and other respiratory conditions.
The one thing that’s clear though, is they contain nicotine, an addictive compound commonly found in regular cigarettes. This can make it very hard to quit smoking vapes.
What are e-Cigarettes?
These are cigarette-shaped devices that use batteries. They’re designed as an alternative to regular cigarettes. They eliminate the hazard of smoking regular cigarettes.
The battery operated device ensures that users get their nicotine fix in the form of aerosolized vapors. The major problem that this has is that the flavors can be dangerous when inhaled.
What is Juuling?
This is the act of vaping with a Juul pod like Suorin. It’s a new type of e-cigarette that’s fast becoming popular. In fact, Juul now accounts for a large percentage of all vaping devices in the US.
It has a distinctive thin, USB-like shape, which makes it very attractive to teens and young adults.
This design also means that they can hide it more easily. Unlike other vaping devices, it doesn’t emit cloudy vapors, which makes it ideal for sneakily indulging in it.
It also smells quite pleasant and can pass as mild perfume, thanks to its many flavors. This is why it’s possible for your kids to be vaping with a Juul in the house, and you won’t know it. You’ll just think they sprayed some sort of fragrance.
Why is Vaping Dangerous for Teens and Young Adults?
As you can see, e-cigarettes, vaping and juuling are all the same. They’re only different in terms of functionality and designs. Kids who take these essentially expose themselves to harmful health conditions. The dangers of vaping are many. Some of them include:
Exposure to Nicotine and Other Addictive Substances
Vaping substances are usually high in nicotine. Unfortunately, nicotine is addictive, which means that your kids can get hooked on the compound.
As if that’s not bad enough, taking nicotine in this form at a young age, can serve as a gateway to taking combustible cigarettes in the future.
It sets the baseline for addiction among kids. As a result, teens will suffer from nicotine dependence, which can result in addictive behaviors later on.
Risk of Psychiatric Disorders
Studies have shown that taking psychoactive substances like nicotine during the teenage years, increases the risk of cognitive impairment and psychiatric disorders in the future.
The prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for attention and executive functions, is usually the last to develop and is uniquely susceptible to the effects of nicotine.
If teens start smoking at that early stage, that part of the brain ends up not getting fully developed. As a result, the kids will grow to become slightly mentally impaired, even as they suffer attention deficits in the near term.
Danger of Injuries from Exploding Vaping Devices
There have been 316 documented vape pen explosions to date, with one known death. We suspect there are more because many e-cigarette explosions aren’t reported in the media.
Some of these explosions happened to teenagers who were smoking them at the time. Naturally, many had to go to the hospital for surgeries or burns after it happened.
How Can You Keep Your Kids and Teens from Vaping?
Well, there are quite a few effective ways to do that.
Explain How Dangerous It Is
Explain the dangers of vaping. Show them examples of negative side effects if possible.
Show them living examples of drug addicts around, and highlight the possibility of them being hooked on drugs just like those people.
And talk to them about the potentially life-damaging effects of nicotine. Most teenagers don’t know this.
They think it’s fun. When they see that it has serious life-threatening consequences, it can scare them straight and get them to drop the habit.
Start Talking to Them Early
You know how you had to have “the talk” with your teenagers? Well, you need to adopt the same approach.
If your kids are still in their pre-teens, now is the right time to start telling them how dangerous the habit is, and why it’s not cool; even if “everyone” is doing it.
Sometimes, indoctrination and repetitive admonishment can help them completely avoid the habit before it even starts.
Advise Your Kids on the Possibility of Peer Pressure
As a parent, you must help your kids understand that a habit isn’t cool just because other teenagers think it is.
They need to be able to take independent decisions against indulging in particularly damaging habits. If you can, show them some kids who are doing great in school without vaping.
Walk the Talk
There’s something about a parent who leads from the front. Studies have shown that when it comes to smoking habits, children unconsciously mimic their parents’ habits.
So, if you smoke, chances are your teenage kids will smoke. And all your rhetoric about doing what you tell them will fall on deaf ears. Children learn best by watching. If you’re currently smoking, now would be the best time to stop, and get clean.
Keep the Home Free of Smoking Influences
Make sure your home is a smoking-free zone. Even if you don’t smoke, odds are you have a friend or relative who smokes.
Establish clear, no smoking rules in your home. So, if they need to smoke, they can do it elsewhere, just not in your home
Emphasize Your Expectations and Possible Consequences of Vaping
Even though they’re in their “rebellious years”, children still listen to what you say, if you’re patient with them. So, let them know what your expectations about them are.
And let them know there’ll be consequences if they indulge and you find out. More importantly, follow up on consequences if you find out that they’re vaping.
This will communicate to them that you are willing to follow through, even if it’s the hardest thing you have to do.
What if They’ve Already Started?
If the kids have already started, you need to look for ways to stop them. Start by providing them with resources aimed at helping them quit vaping.
There are many resources that can help them stop smoking. Start by emphasizing your disapproval. Then, explain the dangers of the habit.
To drive home your point, show them videos of exploded vaping devices -check youtube. Also, show them examples of people misbehaving from doing drugs, and let them know it could be them if they continue.
Go find videos of exploding vape pens and show it to them. Explain the dangers of vaping to them, so they understand the severity of their actions.
Also, you might want to incentivize and reward them for stopping the habit.
What if These Tips Don’t Work?
Well, there’s a final but extreme approach. Please note that this is hard to do, but it works.
Simply get them to take as much vape as possible, so they get high, then record them when they’re high. The goal is to show them what this can do to them and maybe shame them into quitting.
We know it’s extreme, but as parents, saving your kids may require extreme measures. Some parents send their kids to the military if they’re behaving badly. This is no different.
Sometimes, simply doing this can keep your kids and teens from vaping in the future. When they see how badly they’ve behaved as well as suffered through its intoxicating effects, many kids will keep away from indulging.
The same tactic can be used for kids who refuse to stop drinking. Simply give them enough drinks so they’re drunk and let them go through the pains. They’ll most likely stop drinking after such a negative experience.
If you still need help, check out this article on VaporFi Pro on Jenn’s Blah Blah blog. It might help them quit vaping completely.
