In some U.S. stores teenagers can buy vapes that taste like bananas, blueberries, strawberries, apples, mangos, peaches, candies, coconuts, vanilla, donuts, mint. Companies create these flavors because the flavors attract children’s attention.
In 2019, one in every three Massachusetts high school students used e-cigarettes at least once in a month, and more than half of Massachusetts students had tried e-cigarettes at least once. The problem of more children trying and beginning to regularly use e-electronic cigarettes is increasing every year, which means more children are being affected by nicotine. Nicotine is addictive and very toxic for children. It can harm brain development in children. The brain does not fully develop until a person is in their mid-20s, according to the U.S. surgeon general, and young people are at a unique risk for long-term, lasting effects from exposing their developing brains to nicotine.
In Massachusetts, fortunately there are organizations that help with these types of situations, the information campaigns “Get Outraged!” and “Same Dangers” were created by the Massachusetts government and is sharing information about bringing attention to the tactics that the tobacco and vaping industries use to hook and catch the attention of children and to raise awareness among middle and high school-aged youth about the dangers of vaping. Another organization is My Life, My QuitTM, which is a program created to help children quit vaping. The organization offers counseling over phone and text message so kids can have conversations and talk about the dangers of vaping, about cases of children who had problems from vaping, and they help children with advice about how to stop vaping.
We can do more to help children not use electronic cigarettes. One idea is to strengthen education on the subject. We could create posters to convey e-cigarette messages to youth and hang them in schools where they are visible, including in bathrooms, locker rooms, classrooms, counselor’s office, nurse’s office, coach’s office, bulletin boards, hallways, cafeterias walls, etc. Another idea is we could create and show videos to children about the problems that electronic cigarettes can cause. We could show the videos in classes to help teach and prevent children from using e-cigarettes. We cannot prevent children from entering stores, but in addition to the age restriction for the purchase of these products, we can restrict advertising of flavored vapes. School children who are caught vaping in school often face disciplinary action, including detention or suspension. I think instead children who find themselves vaping need therapy and support breaking their addiction.
Together, we need to rethink how we teach kids about e-cigarettes and schools and communities play an important role in teaching students about the dangers and helping addicted students break their addiction.
Franklin Mauricio Zaruma Arichavala, 18, was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He is a senior at Lowell High School. He likes reading manga and watching anime. Franklin hopes to study systems engineering and open a store.