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Original poster

AIBU to expect schools to teach children about vaping and smoking harms?

61 replies

badsmells · 11/08/2026 08:28

My parents were chatting to my children and asked whether they were taught about the harms of smoking /vaping/nicotine pouches at school . They said (age 12, 14 and 15) that they hadn't had any lessons covering that topic.

According to my son in year 10 over 50% of children in his year vape.

If it was just one child I would have assumed they had snoozed through the lesson but for all three to say the topic has never been covered surprised me.

I do talk to them about it at home (not least because they are all asthmatic), but AIBU to think it helps for them to get these messages reinforced at school ?

OP posts:
menopausalmare · 11/08/2026 08:37

Year 8 are taught about lungs and smoking in science. Vaping is tricky to teach are there is very little data on this relatively new habit, apart from references to popcorn lungs (again, very little data). Maybe your sons weren't paying attention? Feel free to talk to them in your role as a parent.

Original poster
badsmells · 11/08/2026 08:37

MeNotYouJustMe · 11/08/2026 08:34

The school day needs to be 15 hours long to cover everything that parents expect them to do - knife crime, on line safety, water safety, vaping, drugs, consent. It goes on and on.

Do parents not, you know, parent anymore?

I literally said I do parent mine. We discuss these things a lot

But it's weird that there's no messaging around the harms of vaping. Mine say they are told they are not allowed to vape but not that vaping is harmful

OP posts:
Member984815 · 11/08/2026 08:36

I'm sure it's spoken about , but really it's parents responsibility and school will back that up .

Nousernameideaaga · 11/08/2026 08:36

I think the purpose of education is primarily to prepare kids for jobs

Dangers of vaping would be parents Job (although is probably covered in PHSE to an extent)

Natsku · 11/08/2026 08:36

While I do think it should be covered as part of health education it'd probably be more effective if schools tried to present it as safe and cool - a sure turn off for most teenagers!

HollyGolightly4 · 11/08/2026 08:35

Of course it gets covered at school- in science and in pshe.

Parental responsibility first and foremost though!

Lomonald · 11/08/2026 08:34

Why would there be a "lesson" in dangers of? I am sure schools are constantly dealing with vapes in schools for children to know. What sort of lessons would you like @badsmells

MeNotYouJustMe · 11/08/2026 08:34

The school day needs to be 15 hours long to cover everything that parents expect them to do - knife crime, on line safety, water safety, vaping, drugs, consent. It goes on and on.

Do parents not, you know, parent anymore?

Barkleyspaubles · 11/08/2026 08:34

I guarantee that this will have been covered multiple times in PSHME lessons and/or Science. Vaping in schools is a huge issue. Parents need to be tackling this anyway from primary age.

fashionqueen0123 · 11/08/2026 08:32

I think it’s covered in phse when I last looked at what that covered.

But yes vaping needs to be covered it’s absolutely ridiculous how the government have let it just replace smoking instead of being a tool for people quitting.

ChickenBananaBanana · 11/08/2026 08:31

Is there anything that isn't expected to be schools responsibility?

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