Just as cigarettes finally dropped in popularity, vaping came around and somehow made tobacco cool again. From 2011-2015, the use of e-cigs among high school students increased nationwide from 1.5 percent to 16 percent*—and this number just keeps going up.
But how on earth do underage teenagers purchase vapes? And how do they hide their vapes from parents and teachers?
The short answer is—the internet. Kids successfully buy e-cig products online 94% of the time, and YouTube is full of tutorials that teach kids how to order a vape without mom and dad finding out. They say to “order your Vape on Amazon” and “tell your parents not to open the package because you’re making an unboxing video.” Other tutorials include:
– “Where to blow smoke in class”
– “How to conceal Juul in your palm”
– “How to hide Juul to pass backpack checks”
It’s become such a problem, some high schools have started removing the doors to their bathroom stalls. Probably not the best solution. There are better actions to take.
Go to FlavorsHookKids.org to help protect kids from a lifetime of addiction.
*Centers for Disease Control, “Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2011-2015,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 65(14):361-367, April 14, 2016, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/pdfs/mm6514a1.pdf.
