How To Talk With Your Teen About Vaping

The following post is sponsored by Health Canada.  As always all opinions remain those of the author.

The sun was out, the windows down, my youngest and I on the way to the mall.  You could actually feel the seasons changing.  Perhaps Mother Nature was going to give us a break and put an end to this horrid winter.  As we chatted about all the things we hoped to find on our shopping trip my eyes were drawn to the car in front of us – a nasty plume of vapour was billowing out the front windows.  What was going on in that car?  It didn’t take me too long to figure out the vehicle in front of us was packed full of four teens, music cranked, all vaping.  Feeling incredibly old I turned to my 17-year-old and asked “How many of your friends vape?”.

The answer was shocking.

The stats regarding teens that vape are sobering. “Data from a recent Health Canada survey showed that 23% of students in grades 7–12 have tried an electronic cigarette.”

It was time to do some reading, some soul searching and open a discussion. Here’s my question to you: how do we begin to educate our children and make sure they know about the risks of vaping?  The simplest answer – talk to them.  By educating our teens, we can arm them with the knowledge they need to keep themselves safe against the unknown long-term health effects of vaping. 

Here’s how you can start the conversation with your teens about vaping:

*Take Advantage of Teachable Moments

As you go about your busy life take advantage of situations as they arise.  A less formal approach with your kids is often best and a great way to clarify the facts and correct any misconceptions they may have.

*Ask Questions

Create an open dialogue with your teens and keep conversation going by participating in thoughtful listening and asking follow-up questions.  Teens need to be heard.

*Know When to Ask For Help

If you’re not sure where or how to start, consider asking for guidance.  Ask guidance counsellors, teachers, or your healthcare provider to talk to you or your teen about the risks associated with vaping.

*Be prepared to repeat the conversation

Teens don’t respond well to be lectured to, working facts into normal conversations and taking advantage of teachable moments may have to happen over a number of talks to make sure they are getting the important message that vaping is not harmless fun.  Keep in mind that talking about it can also set the stage for other important discussions about tobacco, alcohol, drugs and other risky behaviours.

An educated teen is a safer teen.  Make sure your teen knows the facts:  Drive these points home.

*Vaping can lead to nicotine addiction.  How?  Vaping can expose you to nicotine,which is addictive.

*Vaping nicotine can alter teen brain development.

*Vaping can deliver nicotine to your brain, causing you to crave it more.

 *Your teen may try and tell you that not all vaping liquids contain nicotine.  This may be true, but for those that do, the level of nicotine can vary widely. Some vaping liquids have very low levels, while others can contain more nicotine than a typical cigarette.

*Vaping can increase your exposure to harmful chemicals and metals.  One of these chemicals is formaldehyde.  How scary is that?

*Vaping can cause lung damage.

Click here for more information about the health risks of other chemicals in vaping.

A scary fact,  at this point, the long-term health impacts of vaping are unknown.  Another fact, we can help protect our teens from the dangers of vaping by simply starting a conversation.  

If you need more information about the health risks of vaping visit Health Canada, have a read, and then a chat, today.

For more information, visit: canada.ca/vaping