12 year old and vaping

[user1495390444]

Having a few issues with my 12 year old who thinks he's much older!
He's been caught with a vape before and we had a chat and he was grounded and phone taken etc.
We live in a village and have done for 3years but there are some unsavoury characters here so have told my son to avoid them. He's a very good manipulator and liar and I'm struggling to believe anything he days.
I've just looked at his phone and it's clear he has had another vape recently.
He doesn't seem to care much and I'm scared to death he's going down a very bad path.
If he knows I don't believe him ever what has he got to lose?
Any help?

Youngsters are experimenting with vaping but vanishingly few are developing a regular habit unless they are already smokers.

Is there any evidence he has been smoking? If so that is the greater problem by far. If not, and he's just vaping because he thinks it's cool, it's almost guaranteed to be short term, relatively harmless fad.

There's a good fact sheet on ASH's website on young people and vaping.

If you think he is going astray and hanging out with dodgy types, could you encourage him in any hobbies or sports he likes? Anything you can do to fill his spare time and / or encourage friendships with sensible children his own age?

It sounds to me like the biggest problem here is loss of trust. They do tend to lie a bit at this age but to have reached the point already where you don't believe him ever doesn't bode well. The teen years are tough and it's important to have trust so if there's ever anything really serious going on, he feels he can talk to you.

Thank you. Makes me feel a little better. He does have hobbies which is good but this overwhelming desire to be seen as cool no matter the consequence.
He's a good lad and has a very supportive family. But his dad and I split 6 years ago and although it's been calm it's really affected him and he can see that his dad's not that great.
I'm trying to get him to agree to talk to someone but he's a bit reluctant at the moment