What are Shisha Pens all about please??!!

[trottingon]

The new trend among teenagers in this area appears to be Shisha Pens. I have tried to research them but it all seems to be marketing rather than impartial sound advice.

Friends of DS seem to be using them. Looks like a cigarette to me which is bad enough..... What's the score with these things?? Are they regulated....not that I would permit the use if they were.

Just need some good advice. I seem to be saying no to everything at the moment....Xbox games, shisha pens.....!! Bad mother!!

Um, they are shisha pipes in the form of a 'pen', like Ecigarettes.

So they only smoke water vapour, flavoured in the case of shisha, so not harmful. So I wouldn't have a huge issue with them, but I don't think it should be encouraged in under 18's.

Definitely say no! Unless he smokes already and you'd like a safer alternative? They are electronic cigarettes. They contain nicotine and there is no research to say they are safe, though there is a wide-spread consensus that they are likely to be much, much safer than smoking proper. I love them but would never recommend them to non-smokers.

Thanks. Do you inhale the vapour?

the shisha ones don't contain nicotine

it's the actual e cigs that contain it :)

Is it widely accepted that teens use them?

They do NOT contain nicotine! Unless you buy proper tobacco for them, which you have to be 18 to buy.

You do sort of inhale the vapour, but it is literally flavoured water vapour.

No nicotine in them. They give them out in lots of clubs. ( night clubs)

Don't you fill them up like ecigs? With anything from 0% to 24% plus nic?! They look exactly like ecigs to me!

No, they are basically portable shisha pipes, not cigarettes at all.

They are also brightly coloured and vapour comes out. Ecigarettes are, well, cigarette shaped.

Still wondering if it's generally accepted for teens to use these?!

I don't know. They aren't harmful, but they do look a bit like smoking, so I guess it's personal choice.

A bit like those cigarette candies you used to get. Totally inappropriate really, for kids, but they were just candy.

I think that teens using them will be trying to emulate weed smoking and not cigarette smoking tbh.

For that reason alone I wouldn't let a teen near them.

Are these shisha pens, Alexa? Because if so they are exactly the same as an electronic cigarette and in fact I am using one right now! With nicotne in it.:)

In other words they are electric cigarettes with 0% nicotine eliquid.

Acrylic thats not the thing im thinking of but if its what op means then yes it looks like its an ecig

I've not seen ones like one before, yeah they look more like Ecigarettes. You can put tobacco in any shisha, but that's not the idea

And yeah, I guess you can put it like that, because you do 'smoke' them, so they are a form of cigarette. Not electronic though.

My teens think ecigs are seriously uncool because I smoke them. Maybe they will catch onto the shisha pen craze and accept that I'm a trend setter and the epitome of an ubercool person. And then we can have the you don't do as I do, you do as I say conversation again.

I have worked in research into smoking and psychology.
Rituals such as opening packets, sharing, tapping, and hand to mouth gratification combine to add to the addition of smoking. Fake cigarettes and Shisha pens contribute to this.
Do everything you can to discourage this habit forming activity, though they will probably do it anyway, if they think it looks cool. After a few weeks the the novelty will wear off and they will either give up completely or move onto nicotine and/ or weed.

This is a tricky one...not that I have an issue saying 'no' but it is the whole 'what will it lead to' issue. It seems that the actual content of these things (if not tampered with) is innocuous. Thanks TTW, the psychology behind all this is very important!!

where i am the straight e-cigs that look like cigs are considered un fashionable and the ones that look like pens are very much favoured. And they can be sold with nicotine. There's no distinction between shisha or cigs.

Travelled thats very interesting. I hadnt considered the habits of smoking like that.

Based on nothing other than what i would have done as a teen i would say 'ignore' the use of them unless you suspect actual nicotine use. I say that because when my mum told me i wasnt to do something- i doubled my efforts to do it. If you let this fad burn out in its own time i'd say your teen will forget about it in a few weeks.

I'm glad I found this old(ish) thread. DS (14) asked me about shisha pens just this evening, wanting to know if they were safe, because apparently there is a big craze in Y9 at the moment.

He's quite a cautious lad, luckily, and I'm pleased he came and asked for my advice before following the crowd, but I had to admit I knew very little myself.

I'm trying to impress upon him the foolishness of inhaling/sniffing/ingesting something you know nothing about. Regardless of whether or not it is "harmless" water vapour. Although, by the sounds of it, he might well come across the nicotine version.

Dp uses a shisha pen.

He was a smoker, then used a pen with tobacco and is now on 100% flavoured 'juice'.

It's kind of fascinating because there's so many options and flavours etc. Hes currently loving blue lemonade!

If your teen is 'rebelling' via shisha pipe then I wouldn't be too worried.

I think it's faddy. There's no harm done. I'd be pleased that they were doing that and even spending afternoons at shisha cafes rather than some of the crazier stuff that teens get up to.

Wouldn't be at all worried. Better that they be a "rebel" using shisha pens than by smoking tobacco or weed.

There is no evidence as yet that they lead to smoking (of any sort). However, unless you are already addicted to nicotine, ie already a smoker, then you'd be an idiot to use these.