Vaping education for teens
Help young people think critically about vaping with evidence-based resources designed to support honest conversations, informed decisions and healthier futures.
Vaping is rife in New Zealand among school-aged children.
Nearly 13% of Years 9-13 students vape, with the most frequent in the two oldest year groups. Half of those students say they are addicted. So much so that they are waking in the middle of the night to vape.
Talking to our kids about things like vaping is tricky. We need to open a dialogue, and explain to them why this isn’t for them. The dangers of vaping as a teen are higher than for adults, as the chemicals and additives can affect their growth and development.
Most importantly, we can’t just tell them no; respect their intelligence and understanding, and show them the facts. It is always better to tell youth the truth about what’s happening, rather than trying to hide them away from the world.
To help you have - and navigate - those difficult conversations, we've developed some resources with information and techniques.
'Don’t Get Sucked In'
'Don’t Get Sucked In' is a website encouraging teens not to pick up vaping (or smoking) in the first place, by challenging them to do the research and think critically about vaping.
The website is intended to publish and disseminate information and research about vaping products and their use. It sits within the wider body of work conducted by Cardiac and Respiratory Foundation NZ to reduce the appeal of vaping (and smoking) to children and young people and promote healthy lungs.
The material on the website is all evidence-based and reviewed by our Vaping Educational Advisory Group made up of a wide array of experts including registered health practitioners.