To ask if your teen DC vape?

17 yr old DS - no he doesn’t and vehemently opposed (thank goodness). He tackles people vaping in the school toilets - which I admire greatly although it doesn’t win any popularity contests!!

No, they’ve been raised to respect their bodies and see it for the scummy activity it is.

Yes

My two are 20 and 25 now and if you’d asked me would they vape when they were teens I would have said no way. They were both sporty, both very vocal about how uncool it was (a ploy to try and throw you off), and because it’s a vape I could never smell it on them and it was easy to hide. Fast forward to then being adults and they both vape and have done since they were teens, they even confessed to vaping in their bedrooms. Never underestimate teenage curiosity and peer pressure and never be smug about your children not doing it because you honestly just don’t know.

The teens in the family do. One is 17 and the other is 19 and he also smokes cigarettes too. We all despair as there is no one in both sides of the family that smoke. Both our grans did but died years ago and that wld be great grans of these teens. I was hoping smoking was on its way out but now it’s just been replaced with vaping which isn’t really any better.

I was at a bbq with some friends in the summer, two of whom sat and told me that their daughters thought vaping was grim and they would never do it. Dd went for a walk with their dc during the bbq and as soon as we got in the car on the way home she told me that both of the dc had vaped while they were walking.

I don’t necessarily think that every teenager tries vaping but I also think that there are a lot of people saying ‘my dc would never’ who are probably wrong.

I’m not saying they are the same. But on a casual glance vaping is pretty endemic more so than smoking was when we were teens..

When Dd gave up she explained it was like me giving up coffee or wine - ie the thing you do with your friends to be sociable. Not vaping set her and her best friend apart. She probably does vape sometimes but not habitually.

i think all you can do is bang on about health risks and say you won’t fund it. If they are younger you can threaten to remove privileges such as freedom etc. Mine are late teen now so my control pretty much gone. It’s up to them to make the right choices.

Why? I have never smoked a cigarette in my life and not done lots of things the collective teenage is supposed to have done because every teenager is exactly the same?

We're my parents naive for thinking i never smoked if they were asked, I give teenagers more credit than assuming anything just because you know teenagers

I think there is a lot of naivety on this thread!

I supervised a festival when dd2 and her wider group were about 15 and believe me most of them were vaping. Of course they are going to tell mum they don’t!

I was naive about how much my teens ‘hated the smell’ at theme parks. Now not so much 😞

DS14 doesn’t and nor do his close friends. He is not part of the gang who piss around in lessons and generally cause a nuisance. Some of them were allegedly vaping in Y8.

He may choose to in the future but given that he is pretty risk averse and hates the smell of them when people walk past, I’m not especially worried at this point. I’ve spoken with him about the damage it can do and how manipulative the companies are who sell them. Same with snuz.

He also avoids the toilets at school because of the vaping crowd. Long may his disdain last!

Yes my 21yo doesn't vape, but he does like a cigarette when he goes to the pub. Just glad he doesn't smoke them all the time

No, they don’t wanna look like they are sucking on a Bic biro.

No.

She has asthma and knows it is especially bad for her. She also understands that I am allergic to most vapes and if she started coming home with residue on her that could create serious problems. She won’t socialize with anyone who is vaping.

No thank God, she thinks it’s gross.

Experimentation is common in the teenage years, however the vast majority of children who vape regularly are current or ex-smokers and so may be using them for similar reasons as adult vapers.

There has been an alarming rise in the number of children who say they intend to try smoking. This is what happens when you convince them that vaping is just as bad, I suppose. Currently 63% of 11-17 incorrectly believe that vaping is as harmful or more harmful than smoking, up from 41% in 2022.

https://ash.org.uk/resources/view/use-of-e-cigarettes-among-young-people-in-great-britain

15 year old does, obviously I’m not thrilled but she’s generally a good kid

I do think she’ll stop on her own, she’s realising now that it’s a struggle to pay for nice things because she’s spending money on vaping. In the meantime any vape stuff I find goes in the bin, I won’t look for it but if it’s laying about it’s gone

No. Eldest says the lads he knows who vape are dicks. Only one of his mates vape.
Youngest definitely doesn't, she's barely out of the house.

You realise the law allows people to have sex when they are 16? Do you think saying ‘not under my roof’ will stop 16 year olds having sex?

I don’t think so, they’re both quite sporty so I think they would avoid it

Well she hasn't got pregnant in 3 years and is on the pill. Don't you think teenagers have sex at least shes prepared and on birth control so less likely to get pregnant then a girl not on birth control having a one night stand

I am extremely far from a smug parent. Dd doesn’t vape - we have far bigger issues with her than that. In fact if your teen vaping is your biggest issue you’re actually doing pretty well.

Well, as I said earlier, I was a smug parent once.. .

DS17 does since getting in with a crowd who all do. He has to leave it by the back door as soon as he gets in the house, and only vape outside. He was doing it out of the window in his room. When he started vaping at 16 his dad and I both gave him the "you realise it's crap for your health and a huge waste of money" talk, but we knew nothing we could say would stop him when out with friends.

DS15 thinks it's a ridiculous thing to do, and regularly jeers at his brother for being a "delinquent".

Yes, thankfully it seems to be seen as very uncool by many teens. More than cigarettes or other drugs from what I can see. And I had very uncool teens!