In schools across America, a consistent problem among teens is addiction to vaping. Vapes, or E-Cigarettes, are devices that vaporize various chemicals, such as nicotine, to give the same effects as smoking a cigarette.

Although numerous anti-vaping campaigns have been going on for a long time (such as The Real Cost’s TV ads), students continue to vape, and it can directly affect the students. Vapes can sometimes trip the school’s fire alarm system, causing students to miss valuable class time. One such incident happened the day before finals, causing some students to miss finals that were being held early.

So why do students vape? One reason is because of peer pressure. If a teen is around a group of people who are influential to that teen, and those people are vaping, the teen will be more likely to start vaping. Nicotine, the drug in vapes, is highly addictive so teens will come back for more.

A study in 2023 conducted by the FDA found that 2.8 million youth in the United States currently use tobacco products. Tobacco use saw a slight decrease from 16.5% in high school students to 12.6%, and an increase from 4.5% in middle school students to 6.5%.

The study also found that vapes are still the most popular form of tobacco amongst youth, and they have been for 10 years. Cigarette and cigar use are at an all-time low as more students vape. One of the most popular vape brands currently is the ELF bar, a kind of disposable vape that you can toss out when it’s done.

Mr. Thorp, the behavioral specialist, had some words about the issue. “I think that we need more resources for sure to help kids not vape because we know that it’s not healthy for them, and it’s something that we don’t want them to do because we care about them.” 

As vaping continues to be an issue with teens and in schools, many may wonder where the solution lies; we may never know the answer, at least until something is done about it.