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!!

[CointreauVersial]

You are right - as far as teenage rebellions go, I can think of worse ones! I just don't want it to lead to other things. All I can do is guide him to make sensible choices, I guess. or follow him everywhere 24/7

[Solo]

This seemed to be a fad a year or two ago around here with kids, but Ds hasn't mentioned them for a long time thankfully. I made him promise he wouldn't try them...don't know whether or not he kept that promise though.

[Solo]

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.

Exactly this!

[F5689]

I later found out that my DD ((13 at time) smoked shisha pens with a couple of friends until they wanted to do weed with the rest of their friends. Its not bad and between that and weed, I would opt for the shisha.

[Thedaughter123]

Okay okay okay
So lemme but one thing straight. Shisha pens are socially accepted. They are not really for anything, but it is cool to smoke little rings and do tricks, whoever says it is for recovered smokers or is like the next step towards smoking is wrong I have never smoked anything apart from them nor do I want to I don't get that desire by smoking shisha lol it isn't foolish like would you rather your child be smoking weed or sniffing cocaine? Be grateful it isn't harmful and it is legal and safe. Only some come with nicotine and those are the proper dodgy ones how stupid is you child?


DONT GET IT TWISTED! SHISHA IS TERRIBLE FOR YOU ONE PUFF IS LIKE 200 CIGERETTES AT ONCE!!!!! SHISHA PENS ARE PERFECTLY SAFE IF YOUR CHILD IS GOING TO SHISHA CAFES OR BARS PLEEEEEASE DONT LET THEM!!!!!' I HAVE EXPERIENCED IT AND TRUST ME I AM A TEENAGER IT IS TERRIBLE IF THE SHISHA IS TAKEN IN VIA LIKE LONG TUBE TYPE THINGS CONNECTED TO A BASE THAT IS A NO!!! IF IT IS JUST A SMALL PEN THING LIKE A CIGERETTE SHAPE THAT IS PERFECT!!!!

[sami1985]

I've never heard of them but am intrigued and am compelled to try this! Where would they sell them?

[mrsjay]

i saw some teens using this the other day i was shocked they are a replacement for fags although it i just vapour i am not sure why it is cool i wouldnt allow my dd to use one

[Xcodemod]

Sorry miss
I do feel i need to react to this
Im a shisha pen smoker and there is a HUGE difference between a shisha pen and an e-cigarette
E-cigarettes contain nicotine, shisha pen's contain only water vapor with a taste
Allowing it is up to Every parent on its own, buy its not additicting
But no offence to anyone disliking it

[MumofMig]

So I write for a company who sell these.
To confirm you can buy non nicotine containing pens, bu due to the other products used in them for the burning of the liquid for example - it all depends on the brand/type being used) it would seem that smoking one pen (450 - 500 puffs per pen) is as strong as 15 cigarettes.

The clarify what TheDaughter123 says: The hookah pipes which last around an hour to smoke can equate to around 100-200 cigarettes a go but of course this is all dependent on the type smoked. So one puff of that doesn't not equate to 200 cigarettes of course.

None of it is to be encouraged as you say, but it would seem, based on what I have learnt, non nicotine containing pens are preferable, but there has still been no conclusive evidence or research done on the contents of a pen. You wouldn't drink unspecified and untested alcohol so why would you smoke something of a similar nature would be my warning.

Hope this helps.

[Alita7]

I wouldn't actively encourage it or buy one for him but I wouldn't put a blanket no on it (though I'd say not in your house) as it's ten times better than him smoking or doing drugs and if kids think this is the new cool then I'm happy!
If you say no completely he'll be more inclined to rebel and do that as well as worse things. He just won't be honest with you in future.

[Spidermama]

These seem to be big in the Asian community and my ds uses them with his Asian friends. I consider Shisha pens to be pretty anodyne and frankly the least of my/his problems.

[TheKidsSide]

Hi
My friend is a user of theses "pens" if you can call them that. He has been using them for about three months and i have had it once. There seems to be no real effect. He has an older brother who has said that you should talk to your child and look at the pen. I am saying this as some kinds can have nicotine and tar. But mainly there are just water vapour. This means there are yes safe.

[aguywhoknowsstuff]

Hey, no need to worry. Shisha pens are completely safe. I've done much research and found out that you can buy eshisha pens with no nicotine, tobacco. And you can buy e-cigs which are basically an "electronic" cigarette. Make sure you look around before buying so that you know what type it is. You don't want your kid getting addicted to tobacco at a young age. They are interpreted as a cigarette but don't let him take it to schools as if he is caught he could get into some serious trouble. I hope this helped you out. All my sons friends at school do it aswell. It's just a fase that will wear off in a couple of months. Just let him buy it but DONT LET HIM BUY WEED, OR TOBACCO UNTIL HES 18 and can make his own choice.
Thank you

[banburycrossnan]

Teach young people to read labels on products. As said shisha pens that are fruit and water vapour are harmless. Nicotine is not healthy.
Young people are influenced way or another from the example and actions of their parents. Young people tend to be similar to their parents so if you and their other parent were both very obedient as to the wishes of your own parents the chances are your children will take a similar stance

[jemf56]

On a scale of 0-100 where 100 is very harmful/toxic - tobacco would score about 96/97. 'Shisha Pens' and E Cigs (much the same thing) whether containing nicotine or not would score 6 or 7. Nicotine in itself is not harmful - rather it's addictive. Shisha pens and e cigs are simply a nicotine delivery system, and have been described as the one of biggest and most positive lifestyle developments in recent history (ie over the last century!). Absolutely the worst thing to do is to over-regulate their use, or get obsessed by exactly how safe they are. (E cigs/shisha pens should not be confused be 'Hooka Pipes' which use tobacco and combustion - and are probably as harmful as average tobacco smoking)

[angiepangy]

Hi there, I have just read a very interesting article on the Teen Therapy Centre website. The information here pretty much outlines that these so called "E pens", are in fact potentially harmful because of the chemicals that are used in them and this applies to the ones that are supposedly only water based as it is the chemical reaction that produces the smoke.
There's lots of helpful and insightful answers to give a very different perspective on things.
I for one will not be allowing my teenage daughter to be using these unregulated and untested smoking material. Easier said than done I do realise...

[PlentyOfPubeGardens]

That Teen Therapy Centre article is terrible. It contains so much misinformation I don't know where to start.

For a simple, evidence-based intro to vaping (with actual links to actual sources ) you could do a lot worse than Clive Bates' blog or the Mumsnet Q&A with Linda Bauld and ASH last year.

Ideally teens (or anyone) would inhale nothing but fresh air. However we all know that lots of teens smoke. There is some evidence that teens, like adults, are using ecigs to help them stop smoking. There is also some evidence to suggest a small number are choosing to take up vaping instead of taking up smoking which is no bad thing, given the relative harms. The important thing is that smoking rates are continuing to fall, including amongst youth. Linda Bauld again.

[Ayesha123456]

One of my friends daughters wants one and she's 18 but she doesn't know what to do should she let her have one or should she just stick to her first answer which is no? Oh and by the way her daughter is a non smoker. Is true that they can't harm you, is it just water vapour???

[imateenager]

I was doing some research saw this and shisha pens use water vapour you can get nicotine ones and nicotine is a soft drug that effects the brain some dodgy shops sell the nicotine to under18's I've got one I used it heavily for a while and it will burn there throat tissue cause is uses heat to create the vapour. p.s. you inhale it like a cigarette.

[babygalTorianne17]

Hi im a teenager and I smoke basically hears the thing your not addicted to niccicaten your addicted to the putting hand to mouth as niccicaten leaves the body after 24hours shisa the base bong looking pipe is worse then smoking and ecigs and niccicaten inhalers along side however shisa pens is just water vapor completely harmless but can also start to lead to other things however also an alternative to them smoking I know this because im currently on a child care cause and we learn about this and iv experience this my self for example your first cigarette in the morning makes you dizzy this is the first sign of carbon dioxide posining. But now you know the facts as the parent its time to make your own choice on whever to say yeah or no and fair enough to Xbox games there too adictive and kids should start playing outside.. Hope this helps goodluck x

[Wadingthroughsoup]

Am I alone in thinking there are some weird posts on this thread?

[missymarmite]

I'm glad I found this. I just had an argument with DS who is 11, about whether I would buy him a shisha pen. I'd never heard of it, and when he described it I freaked out as it sounds just like an ecig. Apparently 'all his friends have one' which means one or two probably do. I'm shocked that any parent would buy so thug like this for an 11 or 12 yo. I tried to explain that even if it doesn't have nicotine, I don't feel comfortable with buying him something that emulates smoking. Am I overreacting?

[missymarmite]

*something not so thug

[Shtlend82]

You can get shisha as disposable or a more expensive pen which you can ut in your own liquid, for the disposable they are cheap and last 400 puffs they cause no harm unless asthmatic as inhaling such stuff wouldnt help but it doesnt have harmfull chemicals as you can purchase nicotine free etc the more expensive ones you need to but liquid this you can aslo get nicotine free. Shosha is just water heated up by a think called a wick which turns it into a steamy subtsance which is just flavoured.. I wouldnt worry about it as i think it's a good way to sncourage them to use something different to cannabis or fags nowadays