Vaping research for major inquiry reveal 1 in 4 teens have tried it, as ED cases climbs

Vaping rates among high school students are “incredibly high” and it has become “normalised behaviour”, new research has shown.

Vaping rates among Queensland high school students are “incredibly high” and it has become “normalised behaviour”, research shows, as Queensland Health data reveals fears of babies being poisoned have increased.

Research commissioned as part of a parliamentary inquiry into vaping reveals about one in four 12 to 17-year-olds in Queensland has tried e-cigarettes, with 10 per cent of this cohort claiming to vape daily.

Teens were likely to try their first e-cigarettes in school bathrooms or a mate’s house.

“It has got to the point now where there is a running joke, don’t ---- in the ‘vape room’. More people, I am not even joking, using the bathrooms to vape than to go to the toilet,” a year 11 boy said.

A year 10 student, one of more than 600 surveyed for the research, said vaping had become “very normal”.

“It’s everywhere, you know you kind of almost desensitise to it I think, especially when you’re my age,” she said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk initiated the major inquiry in March, with the report set to be tabled on Thursday after weeks of public hearings and evidence gathering, including from interstate.

Queensland Health, in its submission, says calls to its poisons hotline and emergency department presentations have increased substantially.

There were 102 calls in 2022 about babies and young children aged 0 to 4 and suspected nicotine or other chemical poisonings, which was “more than double” calls received for the age group compared to the previous five years.

In 2014-20, emergency departments dealt with four cases of accidental ingestion of vaping liquid or components of vaping devices by infants and eight cases of people aged 16 or older with injuries such as poisoning or burns due to vapes. But from 2021 to February this year there were 55 incidents of people needing emergency help due to vapes, with three people needing immediate resuscitation.

And more children are being referred to Queensland Children’s Hospital’s mental health arm due to vape-related concerns linked to nicotine dependence and withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, agitation and mood.

The government last week launched a $1.3m campaign, There’s Nothing Sweet About Vapes, targeting children aged 12-17 on social media platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Twitch and Snapchat.