10 yo admits she is curious about what vaping is like

[Yopy]

Can anyone tell me what vaping is actually like? It’s the flavours that make it so appealing to little kids. My 10yo loves to spend pocket money on sweets and trying different flavour bubble gums etc. often with sweets she is so curious when she sees a flavour she hasn’t tried and wants to try them. I can see this translating to vaping when she is at the academy. Although she says she would never do it and is scared that someone would ever offer to her as she knows vaping is bad.

I told her that vaping isn’t good for you and she needs to just accept that and put it in a little box inside her that says never try it. Once you start it can be difficult to stop so just don’t try it once. What else can I say ? Can anyone tell me what vaping is actually like? Are the flavours sweet, like in drinks and sweets? I have never smoked either, but I know smoking is much less appealing to kids as it just smells awful.

All great questions Yopy,

Firstly it is illegal to buy or sell vape products in this country or on behalf of someone under the age of 18. It's a criminal offense. Disposables and or flavored vapes are not new. They have been around for over 10 years. They have become popular again recently because of changes in the laws in the US which put more restrictions on vapes except for disposables. You then add that to the prevalence of internet fads and things kicked off. Now nicotine-containing vapes are highly regulated in this country including toxicology reports, ingredients etc. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency manages that approval process. One note is they do not regulate non-nicotine-containing products which the industry through the UKVIA has been calling for to change. Vaping products should not be used by anyone that does not smoke and while not 100% safe they are at least 95% less harmful than smoking according to most leading health bodies in this country. They contain the following, PG & VG are food-safe liquids that make up the bulk of an e-liquid or vape juice. PG stands for 'propylene glycol' and VG stands for 'vegetable glycerine. Almost all vape juices will contain a ratio of both ingredients, though you may see some e-liquids marketed as 'max VG' which means they contain only very small amounts of propylene glycol. PG causes a harsh tye feeling when inhales which mimics the smoking sensation and VG creates the vapor you see. The more VG the more vapor, and the more PG the harsher it feels. Next comes food-grade flavorings from regulated approved lists and lastly pharmaceutical-grade nicotine. The amount of nicotine allowed in each device is regulated under Uk and EU legislation to 20mg per ml and to put that in perspective each single cigarette contains between 8 to 24 mg per stick. If someone who does not vape were to try these they generally would experience the urge to cough and as nicotine is a stimulant would feel a head rush perhaps. Smokers generally don't have these as their bodies are accustomed to it after many years of smoking. Some people describe these flavors as sweet but they actually do not contain sugars. These would destroy the heating mechanism inside. The blended food-grade flavorings are used to mimic various tastes we are used to. One interesting reason why vaping has become the most popular and successful method in the UK to help smokers quit is because within the first week of switching from smoking the sense of taste and smell comes back so tobacco flavor tastes bad. Also, people switching from smoking do not want to be reminded of the triggers that made them smoke in the first place. Some good resources can be found here on the NHS and gov websites website - ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2018/02/20/clearing-up-some-myths-around-e-cigarettes/ or www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/vaping-to-quit-smoking/ or www.royalwolverhampton.nhs.uk/about-us/smoke-free-rwt/the-facts-on-vaping/ I hope you found that helpful.

Google the American teens with major lung damage from vaping. Scare the shit out of your dd. Because there is no Y7 cohort in this country where there is zero vape use. They are pretty on the shop shelves. They appear harmless.

Oh and there are Y6 that do it. A lot fewer than secondary but still. tell her now

I’m curious how your 10-year-old knows what vaping is. I’ve never seen anyone vape. Quite a few years ago, when it was legalised, there was a vape shop on my high street, but that didn’t last long before it closed down.

I tried my flatmate’s the other night out of sheer curiosity .

Her cheap one did sod all and tasted of nothing.

The expensive one was freezing cold, made me cough, gave me a head rush (not pleasant - I’m on a lot of meds anyway so felt momentarily ill with it) and tasted of cough medicine .

Pointless .

My flatmate said she finds it calming for anxiety, but I’m sure you can get the same effect through breathing exercises without having to add nicotine into the mix .

I think it's pretty unusual never to have seen anyone vape!

She's probably seen someone at the park, in the street, near shopping centres (in the smoking bits), or has friends with older siblings or parents who vape. Or even more prosaically, it's been covered in PSHE at school.

I go out to parks and round the streets and I don’t see people vaping. I really thought it was perhaps a craze ten or so years ago, whenever it was, but no one does it now, especially now the dangers are worse than originally made out. Maybe it depends where you live. I just asked my early 20-something daughter if people vape, and she said that it’s “cringe”, done by 16-year-old wannabe TikTokkers.

Around where we are it seems very popular with teens. The academy she will go to it is popular ( high achieving school btw) she is used to seeing children in parks vaping. Seeing empties on the floor. The local shop where she buys sweets, sells them behind the counter. Her best friends older brother she has seen vaping. My older fc don’t vape and say none of their friends do but certain “groups” at school do. They struggle to go the toilets in the secondary school without encountering kids vaping in there.

The problem is it is deliberately marketed to appeal to young children. I will definitely be doing research in to the bad effects on lungs

I found a disposable vape itidying my 16 year old sons bedroom. I couldn't resist trying it before binning. Sickly bubble gum taste , a bit of a nicotine hit ( I did used to smoke occasionally so I recognised that). The big difference was it wasn't unpleasant like the first cigarette I had at 15 so I can understand the appeal to kids. As far as I know my son doesn't vape or not regularly. It's is certainly a banned item in the home!

I wouldn't worry, I remember discussing drugs with my best friend when I was 12. I admitted to being curious and thought maybe one wouldn't hurt. (We were talking about marijuana rather than a needle in arm.) She was vehemently anti-drug. Guess which one of us never touched drugs?

I'd just give the impression that vaping was cheap and tacky. Point out that people look really silly doing it. Don't give it the glamour of the forbidden. So what if she tries it once. A Mormon once confessed to me that she tried the forbidden coffee as a teenager.