“My daughter uses a vape,” writes Hélène. “I found out about two weeks ago. I found it in her bag. Of course I immediately entered into a confrontation, because in my eyes a vape is just as bad as a cigarette. So my 13-year-old daughter just smokes.”
“That confrontation was fruitless. My daughter doesn’t think she smokes and sees a vape as a fun toy rather than something dangerous. How do I make her understand that this way of smoking is also harmful? Does it help to come up with scary stories or should I approach it more subtly?”
E-cigarettes
More than 14 percent of young people between the ages of 12 and 16 will have smoked an e-cigarette in 2021. This is evident from figures from the Trimbos Institute. That is less than in 2019 (25 percent), but the Trimbos warns that the figures may be biased by the use of the term e-cigarette in the question. Young people may not classify their vape under the heading of e-cigarette.
Colors and flavors
It seems as if the vape makers are all about enticing children into smoking. Vapes often have cheerful colors and sweet flavors that are referred to by popular terms like ‘Six Licks Truth or Pear’ and ‘Double Drip Raspberry Sherbet’. The most recent trend to add to that: vapes that look a lot like a highlighter or USB stick. Handy, if you want to take a ‘puff’ unnoticed in class.
Harmful
“We are very concerned,” says Esther Croes of the Trimbos Institute. Because no matter how sweet the flavors may be, a vape contains nicotine just like a tobacco cigarette, explains the doctor-epidemiologist. “And that is harmful, especially for young people. Nicotine disrupts the construction of the brain. As a result, young people can have problems with their concentration or with the performance of tasks. If the disturbance is very serious, a young person can suffer from it for the rest of his or her life. We also hear from teachers that some children who vape have reduced concentration in class, are blurry and absent and feel nauseous.”
Addictive
Just like a tobacco cigarette, the vape is also highly addictive, continues Croes. “The danger is also the convenience of the vape. You take one puff, put it away again and take it again five minutes later. This way you can keep repeating that all day long and that’s what makes the vape so addictive. Users build up a so-called nicotine level that you maintain through regular vaping. The moment your brain gets used to that mirror, and it therefore becomes a necessity that you continuously maintain that mirror, you are addicted. That’s how it happened.”
Mild in the throat
The vape is especially popular among young people because, unlike the tobacco cigarette, it does not cause a sharp, burning sensation in the throat when inhaling deeply. “Many vapes contain nicotine salt instead of nicotine. That makes quite a difference: where the tobacco cigarette really gives a sharp blow to the throat, vapes are very mild. Nicotine salts are also absorbed more quickly into the blood and brain. And the faster that happens, the faster you become addicted.”
Hard to stop
“Once addicted, it is not easy as a young person to stop. No drugs are prescribed at such a young age and nicotine patches are not recommended either.” It is therefore important for Hélène, as she has already tried herself, to stop her daughter’s vaping behavior as soon as possible. “As a parent, realize that the brain of a young person does not mature evenly. The reward center matures before the area in the prefrontal cortex where the wise decisions are made. Rewards therefore have priority for young people, while they are insufficiently aware of its consequences. That is what makes them such a rewarding target for the tobacco industry: they are easily tempted to start a new product.”
stink
“As a parent, try to be consistent and make it clear that you disapprove of the vaping behavior. Statements such as ‘in thirty years’ time you will get cancer’ often do not help. It is more constructive to name matters that directly concern children. Money plays a big role with children, for example, so you can emphasize that it is a shame if all your pocket money is spent on vaping. In addition, it has been scientifically proven that the switch to the tobacco cigarette becomes a lot easier when you vape. You can tell your child that a tobacco cigarette will make him or her smell bad, have unsightly skin, yellow teeth and bad breath. That is not attractive for boyfriends and girlfriends.”
Peer pressure
“You can also present the short-term health effects to your child. There are plenty of children who don’t feel well at all from high doses, get nauseous and can’t keep up with their lessons. Ask your child if he or her is worth it: soon the grades will drop and the final exam will be in danger, for example. You don’t want that at all, you strive for a successful future as a young child, right? In addition, peer pressure often plays a role in this type of behavior. As a parent, you can try to make your child more resilient. Explain that what a friend does is not always the right thing. And that if someone else does something, there’s really no shame in not going after it. Show your child that he or she has their own brain and can make their own decisions.”
Stoptober will start again in a week and a half: a campaign that calls on smokers not to smoke for 28 days. If you smoke as a parent, Croes advises using Stoptober to set a good example and to stop smoking. More information about the campaign can be found on Stoptober.nl.