The new addiction we need to stop our teens before the effects can’t be undone.

The use of e-cigarettes is on the rise, particularly among high school students, and, given that the use of these devices is a relatively new phenomenon at the College, we feel it important to provide students and parents/legal guardians with some relevant background information. 

Electronic cigarettes and vaping devices are battery-operated devices that heat a liquid to produce a vapour that is inhaled. The fluid usually contains propylene glycol, glycerol, nicotine and added flavouring(s). The devices are designed to deliver the aerosol directly to the lungs. Some resemble conventional cigarettes, while more recently developed devices look like everyday items such as pens or USB memory sticks. The appeal of these flavoured e-cigarettes to adolescents has led to their rapid uptake around the world.

The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is concerned that e-cigarettes have ‘renormalised’ smoking. A worryingly recent study has also found that e-cigarette users were three times more likely than non-e-cigarette users to subsequently become tobacco smokers.

While the damaging impact of smoking tobacco is well known, the short and long-term health effects of e-cigarettes and vaping devices are still being researched.

Adolescents are more prone to makings decisions based on emotional or reactive responses, rather than logical reasoning, making teens more likely to take risks. If a student develops an addiction to drugs, developmental instability increases. The regions of the brain that are responsible for concentration, memory, neuroplasticity and cognitive decision-making are largely affected by nicotine. Thus, leaving a significant impact on students’ learning and overall health due to negative effects of brain development when exposed to toxins.

Students are getting vaping devices (pods, electronic nicotine delivery systems or ENDS, juice, etc.) from friends or acquaintances in the community. The Heads of House and my experience is that, in most instances, students are using them or buying them from one another, sharing, lending and passing them from person to person. If we want to get down to the original source, students are buying them online or having adults purchase them on their behalf. At the College we aim to support and protect our students in making better choices but also protect students from unnecessary exposure.

Vaping detection devices are revolutionary and perfect for implementation in areas of expected privacy, such as bathrooms and change rooms, without disturbing the privacy of people within those spaces. There are many ways in which each separate device can operate in a discrete manner to deter vaping in schools, while maintaining the private nature of bathrooms and change rooms. Students can still safely use these facilities without the worry of being watched or recorded in any manner and be kept safe from the harms of vaping emissions. The College is looking into purchasing some of these devices.

So why are students engaging in this practice? A key factor that is linked to substance abuse is peer influence. This acts as the main source of why students acquire vaping devices. If friends are a key component to access vaping habits, then they are also the solution to preventing them. By sharing this information with you, we are hoping it may open up a door for you to communicate with your son/daughter on the choices they make and how they can be a positive influence on their friends.

As always, the Heads of House and I are happy to discuss this topic with you should you have any concerns regarding your child/children, so please feel free to contact us.

Helen Del Frate

Dean of Students