6 ways to quit vaping in schools 

Stopping vaping in schools requires a combination of strategies that address both individual behavior and broader environmental factors. Read on for some tips.

Share this article

Tips to quit vaping in schools

How to stop vaping in schools play_circle_outline

Tips to quit vaping in schools

  1. Education and awareness campaigns

    Implement educational programs that inform students and staff about the risks and consequences of vaping on their health and mental wellbeing.

    These campaigns can include guest speakers, presentations, and informational materials.

    Ensure that teachers are aware of what the devices look like so that they can spot them and speak with the student about the issues.

    Click for more information on the health risks of vaping

    Click for more information on the mental health risks of vaping

    Click for more information about what is in vape juice

  2. Peer support programs

    Establish peer support groups where students can discuss their experiences with vaping, share tips for quitting, and provide encouragement to each other.

    Include discussions on vaping as part of lessons such as life lessons such as PHSE or in tutorial sessions. The aim is to help the students understand that vaping is not risk free.

    Use the literature from the police to highlight the dangers from normal vapes and from illegal vapes.

  3. Counselling and support services

    Offer counselling services or support groups for students who want to quit vaping.

    It is important to ensure that students understand all the available options to give them the best chance of success including Allen Carr’s Easyway to quit vaping for teens

  4. Create a vape free policy and enforce it

    Enforce strict school policies against vaping, including disciplinary actions for violators.

    Consistent enforcement sends a clear message that vaping is not tolerated on school grounds.

    Fit vape detectors in key areas such as toilets to help with the enforcement.

    Set a policy that no vape devices are allowed on school premises and remove such devices if seen in school.

    However, as stated above, be mindful that most addicts want to be free and have not been able to find a way to escape the trap so they need help to get free, not just punishment when caught.

  5. Parental involvement

    It is key to engage parents and guardians by informing them about the dangers of vaping and encouraging them to discuss the topic with their children at home.

    Importantly give parents the tools to discuss the issues with their children, understand the risks and how to spot that their child might be vaping.

    Read more information on the health risks of vaping

    Read more information on the mental health risks

    Read more information about what is in vape juice

    Read more information on should teens vape

    Read more information on how to tell if your teen is vaping

    See also the video below which shows how vaping devices can be hidden in plain sight

  6. Environmental changes

    Implement environmental changes such as installing vape detectors in key areas such as toilets where students are known to vape in secrecy.
    Think of increasing supervision in areas where vaping is prevalent to deter students from vaping.

Vaping devices can be hidden in plain sight

play_circle_outline

Police warn schools, parents, and kids about vapes

police do not cross the line tape
In 2024, the Police wrote to parents in London on two occasions warning about the risks of vaping after young people were hospitalised after vaping.

The letters stated the dangers of vaping particularly to young people whose lungs and brain are still developing.

They also highlighted that normal vapes have not been tested medically to determine either short-term or long-term effects on the health of user.

In addition some vapes have been found to contain dangerous and addictive drugs such as ‘spice’ and high levels of THC, the psychoactive chemical found in cannabis.

Read full article on Police warn schools about dangers of vaping

Free Online Quiz

Not sure if you really want to quit vaping?

Need help to quit vaping?

Want to quit, but concerned that you’ll find it tough?

Worried that you’ll be deprived for the rest of your life without vapes?

We can help you to understand and remove those fears and in so doing, make it quitting easy.

References:

  1. Wang TW, Neff LJ, Park-Lee E, et al. E-cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2020. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2020;69.
  2. Samir S. Soneji, Kristin E. Knutzen, Andrea C. Villanti. Use of Flavored E-Cigarettes Among Adolescents, Young Adults, and Older Adults: Findings From the Population Assessment for Tobacco and Health Study. Public Health Reports, 2019; 003335491983096 DOI: 1177/0033354919830967
  3. Goniewicz ML, Gupta R, Lee YH, et al. Nicotine levels in electronic cigarette refill solutions: a comparative analysis of products from the United States, Korea, and Poland. Int J Drug Policy. 2015;26(6):583–588.
  4. The New England Journal of Medicine : Trends in Adolescent Vaping, 2017–2019 October 10, 2019 N Engl J Med 2019; 381:1490-1491 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc1910739 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1910739  and University of Michigan Monitoring the Future vaping survey 2021 Richard Miech; Adam Leventhal; Lloyd Johnston Pediatrics October 2020, JAMA Pediatr. 2021;175(2):185-190; DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.56672022 update
  5. Centres for Disease control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/Quick-Facts-on-the-Risks-of-E-cigarettes-for-Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults.html
  6. Willett JG, Bennett M, Hair EC, et al Recognition, use and perceptions of JUUL among youth and young adults. Tobacco Control Published Online First: 18 April 2018. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054273
  7. US Department of Health and Human Services. E-cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon Generalpdf icon[PDF – 8.47MB]. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2016. Accessed July 27, 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/e-cigarettes/pdfs/2016_sgr_entire_report_508.pdf and US Department of Health and Human Services. E-cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students 2020pdf icon[PDF – 8.47MB]. US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2020. Weekly / September 18, 2020 / 69(37);1310–1312. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6937e1.htm?s_cid=mm6937e1_w
  8. July 2018 Gallup poll https://news.gallup.com/poll/237818/young-people-adopt-vaping-smoking-rate-plummets.aspx
  9. Parental Awareness of Youth Tobacco Use and the Role of Household Tobacco Rules in Use Prevention Tsu-Shuan Wu and Benjamin W. Chaffee Pediatrics October 2020, e20194034; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-4034 https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2020/10/01/peds.2019-4034
  10. ASH Use of e-cigarettes among young people in Great Britain ASH-Factsheet-Youth-E-cigarette-Use-2019 , YouthEcig2020 , , Use-of-e-cigarettes-among-young-people-in-Great-Britain-2021Use-of-e-cigarettes-among-young-people-in-Great-Britain-2022https://ash.org.uk/uploads/Use-of-vapes-among-young-people-GB-2023-v2.pdf
  11. National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes Report – https://www.nap.edu/resource/24952/012318ecigaretteConclusionsbyEvidence.pdf
  12. World Health Organisation Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2021
  13. Raymond BH, Collette-Merrill K, Harrison RG, Jarvis S, Rasmussen RJ. The nicotine content of a sample of E-cigarette liquid manufactured in the United States. Journal of Addiction Medicine. 2018;12(2):127–131.
  14. NHS: Flavouring found in e-cigarettes linked to ‘popcorn lung’ https://www.nhs.uk/news/heart-and-lungs/flavouring-found-in-e-cigarettes-linked-to-popcorn-lung/
  15. A review of the comparative mammalian toxicity of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol J S LaKind 1, E A McKenna, R P Hubner, R G Tardiff Crit Rev Toxicol. 1999 Jul;29(4):331-65. doi: 10.1080/10408449991349230 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10451263/
  16. A toxicological review of the propylene glycols J Fowles, M Banton, L Pottenger Crit Rev Toxicol 2013 Apr;43(4):363-90. doi: 10.3109/10408444.2013.792328 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23656560/
  17. Propylene Glycol Toxicity in Children T. Lim, R. Poole, and N. Pageler, J Pediatr Pharmacol Therv.19(4); Oct-Dec 2014PMC4341412 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4341412/
  18.  Fuoco, F.C.; Buonanno, G.; Stabile, L.; Vigo, P., “Influential parameters on particle concentration and size distribution in the mainstream of e-cigarettes,” Environmental Pollution 184: 523-529, January 2014.
  19. Grana, R; Benowitz, N; Glantz, S. “Background Paper on E-cigarettes,” Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco and WHO Collaborating Center on Tobacco Control. December 2013.
  20. Goniewicz, M.L.; Knysak, J.; Gawron, M.; Kosmider, L.; Sobczak, A.; Kurek, J.; Prokopowicz, A.; Jablonska-Czapla, M.; Rosik-Dulewska, C.; Havel, C.; Jacob, P.; Benowitz, N., “Levels of selected carcinogens and toxicants in vapour from electronic cigarettes,” Tobacco Control [Epub ahead of print], March 6, 2013.
  21. Williams, M.; Villarreal, A.; Bozhilov, K.; Lin, S.; Talbot, P., “Metal and silicate particles including nanoparticles are present in electronic cigarette cartomizer fluid and aerosol,” PLoS ONE 8(3): e57987, March 20, 2013.
  22. Henderson, TR; Clark, CR; Marshall, TC; Hanson, RL; & Hobbs, CH. “Heat degradation studies of solar heat transfer fluids,” Solar Energy, 27, 121-128. 1981.
  23. Williams, M.; Villarreal, A.; Bozhilov, K.; Lin, S.; Talbot, P., “Metal and silicate particles including nanoparticles are present in electronic cigarette cartomizer fluid and aerosol,” PLoS ONE 8(3): e57987, March 20, 2013.
  24. Lerner, C.A.; Rutagarama, P.; Ahmad, T.; Sundar, I.K.; Elder, A.; Rahman, I., “Electronic cigarette aerosols and copper nanoparticles induce mitochondrial stress and promote DNA fragmentation in lung fibroblasts,” Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 477(4): 620-625, September 2, 2016.
  25. Guardian Newspaper https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/18/uk-health-expert-raises-alarm-at-epidemic-of-vaping-among-teenagers
  26. Elf bar nicotine levels Dr. Onkar Mudhar https://vaping360.com/learn/how-much-nicotine-is-in-a-elf-bar/#:~:text=Nicotine%20in%20a%20cigarette%20compared%20to%20Elf%20Bars,-A%20recent%20Tiktok&text=Dr.,equivalent%2020%20milligrams%20of%20nicotine.%E2%80%9D
  27. United states most popular vape flavor teenagers – Statista 2022
  28. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. National Youth Tobacco Survey 2022
  29. Huang, L. L., Baker, H. M., Meernik, C., Ranney, L. M., Richardson, A., & Goldstein, A. O. (2019). Impact of non-menthol flavours in tobacco products on perceptions and use among youth, young adults and adults: a systematic review. Tobacco Control, 28(6), 593-598. [DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054824]
  30. El-Toukhy, S., Sabado, M., Choi, K., & El-Toukhy, S. M. (2018). Peer crowd identification and adolescent smoking. Tobacco Regulatory Science, 4(1), 367-376. [DOI: 10.18001/TRS.4.1.20]
  31. Creamer, M. R., & Loukas, A. (2019). Adolescent e-cigarette use and mental health problems: The role of e-cigarette attitudes and peer smoking. Addictive Behaviors, 93, 240-245. [DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.02.002]
  32. Miech, R., Johnston, L., O’Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Patrick, M. E. (2020). Trends in adolescent vaping, 2017–2019. New England Journal of Medicine, 382(14), 1495-1496. [DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc1910739]