Signs of vaping in kids
Unlike traditional cigarettes, vape devices
lack tobacco’s telltale odor, making them
easier to hide. However, signs of use include
irritability or restlessness, faint sweet scents
and unfamiliar technology or spare parts like
atomizers and cartridges.

Other signs include increased thirst, dark
circles under the eyes and desire for spicy
food, all of which come from vaping-induced
dehydration. Since nicotine slows down the
healing of wounds, kids who vape are likelier
to have long-lasting acne and blemishes.

Tips for conversation
The ALA advises parents to ask open-ended
questions and avoid judgment and scare tac-
tics when talking to their kids about vaping.

Even before that, Dr. Panagis Galiatsta-
tos, who directs Johns Hopkins Medicine’s
tobacco treatment clinic, says: “The first
thing I would tell parents is: Talk to your kids
about how they’re handling their stress.”
Opening the door to these conversations
can keep the lines of communication flow-
ing between parents and children. Talking
to kids about vaping before they begin can
help educate them about the dangers of vap-
ing for their health. T
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Additional Resources
Teens and young adults
who want to quit vaping
can join the program
“This is Quitting” for free
by texting DITCHVAPE
to 88709.

Parenting isn’t easy, but there
are strategies that can help.

Find support and resources
at familytreemd.org/flip
or our 24-hour Parenting
HelpLine at 800-243-7337.

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6OKEAN/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
United States reported they were current
users of e-cigarettes, with 80% using fla-
vored products. That’s more than 2 million
middle and high school students, compared
to 3.6 million in 2020 and 5.4 million in 2019.

These declines could in part reflect young
people avoiding stores and spending more
time under their parents’ supervision due to
COVID-19. At the same time, however, more
current users are using daily than before.

Walley sees this statistic as a “proxy for
addiction,” a public health crisis related to
rising anxiety and depression among youth
due to factors like climate change, mass
shootings and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A lot of kids are self-medicating by vap-
ing,” says Dr. Mary Garza of the Maryland
Pediatric Group, adding that they also “want
to seem like they’re growing up and like
they’re cool.”
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