Many parents will be aware of recent incidents in the news regarding vaping, especially reports concerning teenagers in the United States. Since vaping is something of a new phenomenon, parents may find themselves lacking quality information. Health Canada is the national agency charged with public health in Canada and has published some statements on vaping. Briefly, things you should know about vaping include:
- Vaping can lead to nicotine addiction. Nicotine addiction is associated with detrimental health effects. In teens, nicotine can lead to altered brain development.
- Vaping can lead to lung damage.
- The long term consequences of vaping are unknown. Why risk it?
- Vaping is less harmful that smoking, but is not intended for non-smokers and youth, because it still carries risk.
Below you will find some links to more complete information made available by Health Canada. Reading through some/all of these will give you a more complete understanding of vaping.
- Information on vaping and what it is.
- A Tip Sheet for Parents featuring current information about vaping and some tips for talking to your teenager about the issue.
- Consequences of Vaping
- Risks of Vaping
Also available is a fact sheet from the Saskatchewan Prevention Institute on the risks of electronic cigarettes to children.
In addition, Common Sense Media has some tips for parents about helping your child dodge cigarettes, vaping, and pot marketing.
Many teenagers believe vaping is without risk – this is untrue. Getting informed about the issue is a great place to start. Hopefully if this message comes from home and school, these misconceptions can be corrected.