In recent months the issue of vaping has again been in the media and been brought into sharper focus. Adolescents are often exposed to and try new things when with their peer group.

The marketing of vaping products is very sophisticated and appealing to teenage girls, who see it as the ‘trendy’ thing to do. The new smaller designs of devices mean that as teachers and parents we might not even know a young person has vaped, they now look like small USB sticks. Another key reason why vaping is attractive for young people is they make games of it by making vape clouds and then post these videos on social media.

There is still limited research available on the health risks of vaping for young people, but the damage of being introduced to addictive nicotine delivery devices so early in a girl’s life is sure to be a worry that we all share. Nicotine is an addictive substance that is an issue for brain development. Of further concern are the legal ramifications, as the law clearly states that vape products are not available to anyone under the age of 18 which means school students are being supplied and/or sourcing these products illegally.

There are those in the media and in the community who might argue that vaping is ‘harmless’ and ‘a coping strategy for stress', but we would argue that there are many healthier ways of coping with life's stresses and how to resist peer pressure situations. Teenage girls are becoming addicted to nicotine by using the highest levels of nicotine vaping liquid, which is higher than was in ‘old fashioned’ cigarettes.

Our school-wide Wellbeing programme continues to offer a developmental scope and sequence for educating our girls on matters relating to health, personal and social development, delivered through our Health and Physical Education curriculum. Education around the dangers of vaping and equipping our girls with the strategies required to resist peer pressure is being highlighted in our Year 7-10 programmes.

Our primary role is to educate our girls on how to live a healthy, happy life, so our attention is firmly on prevention. We aim to provide a positive and supportive school climate that promotes responsible decision making by students in relation to drug use and challenges them to pursue better health. The school also has a policy with regard to what is acceptable when girls are under the jurisdiction of the school: that is, whenever they are in school uniform. Consequences for vaping begin with an internal stand down, followed by medical advice and potentially the cancellation of enrolment.

It is the strength of our home-school partnership and shared high expectations for our girls that will continue to protect them from the potential long term harm of vaping. We encourage you to have discussions with your daughter

I have attached resources that may be of use to you if you are navigating these conversations with your daughters.

https://www.vapingfacts.health.nz/

Vaping: What You Need to Know (for Teens) - Nemours KidsHealth

https://www.hpa.org.nz/programme/education/young-people-vaping

https://stmargarets.nz.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/ecigarettes-and-vaping-nz