Today’s world of teenage nicotine consumption looks very different from what many parents may have seen in high school in the 80s and 90s, with a cigarette smoked on the sly at lunch or after school.

You can’t smoke a cigarette in the middle of a classroom, but vaping is much easier to conceal.

What’s more, today’s teens deal with a much higher level of addiction.

Parents can help their children by educating themselves about the products that today’s youth are likely to see among their peers and through marketing, and by maintaining open lines of communication with children about making healthy choices.

 

Tobacco 21 is federal law

In 2019, the federal government raised the minimum age for the sale or distribution of tobacco products from 18 to 21 years. It is illegal for a retailer to sell any tobacco product—including cigarettes, cigars and e-cigarettes (vapes) to anyone under 21. The retailers and dealers who are selling vaping products to high school and middle school students are doing so illegally. In addition, friends, family members and other individuals who purchase these products and give them to people under 21 are also in violation of federal law.

 

Highly concentrated

Vaping products are not regulated, so there’s no way of knowing exactly what is in any one product, but an average nicotine vape pod contains the same level of nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes. Some products may even have THC or fentanyl in them.

In addition, the act of vaping is very different from smoking a cigarette, which is also extremely harmful.

“Vaping devices produce an aerosol, and that aerosol is very effective at getting nicotine to pass the mucous membranes in your mouth and your lungs,” said Jennifer Bateman, a prevention specialist and school substance abuse educator with the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board. “It fast-tracks into the brain, where dopamine receptors are firing.”

Tiffany Eustice, Northwest Region Coordinator for Tobacco Control with the Virginia Department of Health, said the concentration of nicotine within vape products is a warning sign of just how addictive they are.

“Vaping is way more addictive than cigarettes,” Eustice said. “It’s far more concentrated, and that’s why we are seeing youth having to use it, not just after school or maybe during lunch breaks, but sneaking it in classes. They are heavily addicted.”

Eustice said it’s important to understand that the addiction formed through vaping can be so strong that youth aren’t just doing it socially.

“The vaping devices are very teen-friendly,” Bateman said, and the market is constantly awash in new devices that enable teens to hide their habit in public settings like home or even a classroom.

Examples include hoodies with drawstrings containing hidden tubes to allow users to inhale from a hidden device and insulated “travel” mugs where the straw is actually a vaping inhaler.

“And kids will make their own,” Bateman said. “They’ll take a highlighter and take everything out of it, put the vape inside and it will look like just a pen they have in their backpack.

“It’s changing every day, and is very hard to keep up with.”

Researchers are beginning to see adolescents and teens using oral nicotine pouches, a product intended to help adult smokers quit the habit. One popular brand name is Zyn. While these pouches can be useful if they help a smoking-addicted adult to quit, researchers from Harvard’s School of Public Health noted earlier this year that the nicotine in Zyn pouches is highly addictive and can increase cardiovascular disease risk in people who are not already using nicotine.

 

When to talk to kids

Bateman starts her education work with children as young as 2 or 3 years old through a program called Healthy Alternatives for Little Ones (HALO).

At this age, she said, parents and educators can help children understand how the brain and body work together, how to name and tame big feelings, and the importance of making choices that will keep the body healthy.

As children start to get older, talking more specifically about the dangers of using things like cigarettes, vaping devices, alcohol and other substances prepares them to make better choices.

“Doing that preventative work before your child gets to middle school or high school and are exposed to those things when you are not with them is very important,” Bateman said. “Talk about why people would use those substances.”

Often, substance misuse is tied to mental health.

“Usually, it’s stress and those overwhelming feelings that kids have, and they want this discomfort to go away. They want to be ‘normal’ like their friends,” she said. “But these big feelings are what’s normal for a teenager.”

The key is seeking better ways to manage the discomfort those feelings cause, such as talking to a mental healthcare provider, exercising or enjoying a hobby, spending time with close friends who encourage healthy choices or talking with a trusted adult.

More than anything, adults can help their children make healthy choices by laying a foundation of open and honest communication, Bateman said.

This means listening more than lecturing when your teen talks to you about behaviors they are seeing among peers. It also means educating yourself about what your child is likely to see.

“This is not a one-time 60-minute lecture,” Eustice said. “It’s a lot of small conversations.”

She encourages open-ended questions such as, “What do you think about vapes?” or “What have you heard about vaping?”

“Find out what they are seeing,” Eustice said.

And remember: The No. 1 protective factor for young people against addiction is having a caring adult they can speak with openly about their feelings and the behaviors they are seeing around them.

 

 

To learn more, and to stay informed about community trainings that can help you stay on top of what teens and adolescents are encountering, visit rappahannockareacsb.org.

 

What to look for

While the act of vaping can be easy to hide, the signs of a vaping habit or nicotine addiction are something parents can learn to look for. Bateman and Eustice encourage parents to talk to their children if they spot the following:

·      A change in behaviors. Bigger reactions to small things like being asked to perform a household chore.

·      Sneaking off frequently to use the bathroom or for unexplained reasons.

·      Increased irritability and mood swings.

·      A change in sleeping patterns, or insomnia.

·      Extra chargers lying around the house, especially if you never see the devices they charge. A child suddenly purchasing batteries regularly.

·      An unexplained increase in the amount of money a child is spending.

·      An abnormal quantity of devices that look like USB drives in the child’s room or bag.

·      An overwhelming fruity scent on the child or in the child’s room.

 

Know about nicotine

 

Nicotine is highly addictive, and just 5 milligrams a day is enough to start an addiction, according to the U.S. Surgeon General. A popular brand of oral nicotine pouches can have as much as 6 milligrams of nicotine per pouch. One JUUL pod contains approximately 40 milligrams of nicotine.

 

Nicotine can be harmful to young brains, which are still developing and maturing until the mid-to-late 20s, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Its use during adolescence can affect the formation of brain circuits, which can lead to attention deficit disorders and learning disabilities, among other issues, according to The Truth Initiative. 

 

A 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that 10% of middle and high school students were currently using a tobacco product.