Think my son is vaping

[vapemam]

I’m freaking out slightly because I found a vape in my son’s school bag, he's only 12! I’ll obviously talk to him but I know nothing about them and don't know who to ask IRL so vape knowledge please! 🙏
Where do you buy them? Are they all the same? Where can kids get them? What else should I know?

I feel like such an idiot not knowing this stuff but he’s still a baby in my eyes and I didn't think I needed to worry yet!

Thank you

I would assume it is his. They are very addictive.
Cut off all his money supply. I started smoking at 12 it's very hard to stop when so young.

Not all vapes contain nicotine so the first thing I'd do is find out what he's vaping, and have a chat with him about it. Ask him in a non confrontational way if the vape is his, and why he vapes.

Its very worrying OP.
I see there is a new report out about the significant harms linked with vaping - the one that leaps out is the increase in chances of having a stroke and of developing heart disease. And this alongside an increasing number of young people vaping.
It makes me angry the way vaping was seized on with such enthusiasm in the UK as an aid to help people stop smoking before there was any real knowledge about it's harmful effects. And of course it is as addictive, some say more so,than cigarettes. Vaping is actually illegal in a lot of countries.
You need to talk to him about the dangers of vaping and the addictiveness of it.if you Google you can find out the information. Ask him where he got the vape. Impress on him it's not " cool" to vape, and, as pp said, if necessary cut off his money supply so he can't buy them.

Do everything you can to nip it in the bud OP. Take it from a mum who has an older teen who vapes.

I agree about cutting off money and regularly checking school bag and other hiding places. But also treading a fine line. I probably overreacted in some ways and it just made my kid dig in. Maybe talk about why he's doing it, acknowledge how hard peer pressure is for them etc. Let him talk, don't lecture and over-punish. No money is a good natural consequence for this, as would be grounding for a bit.

As to where he's got it from, for my DC it was probably initially older siblings or kids nicking off parents but once they look a bit older they find out which shops will sell them without ID. I reported a few in our area (I think via trading standards/Citizen's Advice?).

Good luck.