‘Endemic’: Aussie teens seek addiction help as vaping takes hold in schools

Children as young as 13 are asking for help as they struggle with vaping addiction, with the situation being described as a “slow-motion train wreck”.

Children as young as 13 have asked for help for a vaping addiction, according to data from Quit Victoria, with one report telling of “kids selling vapes in the gym change rooms”.

Quitline counsellors have been supporting parents and teenagers struggling with the startling rise in the popularity of e-cigarettes, or vapes, according to Quit Victoria.

And it’s a rise that Quit director Dr Sarah White has described as a “slow-motion train wreck”.

In the data compiled by the organisation, one young teen said vaping was “endemic” at their school, and wanted support around being one of very few in their class not vaping.

The child said they wanted their school to understand how serious the problem was, with “kids selling vapes in the toilets”.

A 15-year-old caller said 80 per cent of their friends vape, and that being “strongly addicted” had sapped their motivation and energy.

The number of e-cigarette users in Victoria has doubled in the last three years. Picture: iStock

They rang Quitline to get help to break the habit of “vaping upon waking up and picking it up every five minutes throughout the day”.

Another report told of a parent who confiscated their 16-year-old child’s vapes, which contained nicotine. The documents said the child “is now having withdrawals with chest pains and arm pains”.

A recent study from Cancer Council Victoria showed the number of e-cigarette users in Victoria doubled from an estimated 154,895 users in 2018-19 to 308,827 in 2022.

More than half of those users are aged 30 or younger, with the number of women aged 18-24 who vaped five times greater in 2022 than in 2018-19.

The sudden explosion in vaping has left parents in the dark over how to protect their children.

Data from Quit Victoria released in October 2022 shows the alarming rise of vaping. Picture: Quit Victoria

One parent told Quitline they were “unsure of how to approach them regarding vaping information”, and was “initially of the mind to buy one for them”, not realising the danger.

Another report said a 13-year-old had been encouraged by a teacher to get help for a vaping addiction, not feeling comfortable talking to their parents about the issue.

They had been “introduced to vaping in Grade 6 by older friends”, and had been “vaping nicotine constantly before (and) after school”.

Quit Victoria has called for urgent measures to address the rapid rise of vaping, which director Dr Sarah White said was jeopardising decades of success in tobacco reform.

“At a time when, as a society, we are trying to reduce preventable ill health, this is a slow-motion train wreck,” she said.

Originally published as ‘Endemic’: Aussie teens seek addiction help as vaping takes hold in schools