Vaping has become an uncontrollable ‘epidemic’ in schools, reveals this teacher
30 May 2023, 19:49
Teacher Brent tells Lewis Goodall about the vaping ‘epidemic’ taking over schools.
Teacher Brent tells Lewis Goodall “We’re sleepwalking into a public health nightmare” as UK ministers plan on taking further steps on vaping to deter sales to children.
Young children are being “sold and marketed addictive vapes” revealed this teacher, telling Lewis Goodall: “It’s become an epidemic in schools.”
Teacher Brent said: “I’m seeing this impact in schools with children refusing to come out of the toilet. “It’s even children who would not normally vape, children across all age groups”.
Detailing his experience of parental response to the issue, Brent told Lewis: “Some of the parents are complicit in this because they think it's not that bad or much of an issue.”
Teacher begs for help in fight against vaping
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Brent acknowledged how vaping has “changed the brain chemistry” of young children, stating how some parents have even encouraged vaping to “help with stress”.
Noting how vaping has grown “exponentially” among school-age children since Covid, Brent told Lewis: “Vaping is endemic across all social classes.
“The problem is some of these children aren’t casually vaping, their vaping vaping, inhaling high levels of nicotine”.
The Government announced on Tuesday that it was closing a loophole in the law which enabled companies to give away free vaping samples to children, as concern grows that usage of vapes among under-18s has been on the rise.
Ministers are considering further vaping laws, such as a ban on colourful branding or flavour to curtail the issue.
It comes after LBC reported last week that retailers were falsely advertising illegal vapes as nicotine-free to get away with selling them online and in some cases without age checks.
LBC's reporter Fraser Knight bought two vapes, listed on Amazon, which raised suspicion, as customer reviews were used to quietly tell buyers they did in fact have nicotine in them.
