5yo is forced to vape in school bathroom by older students

Footage of the tiny child nervously puffing on a vape has alarmed and disgusted viewers everywhere.

Shocking footage of a 5-year-old being forced to vape in a school bathroom has emerged online.

The clip was filmed at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning School.  A teacher at the school contacted news site TMJ4 News, who then spoke to the child's horrified mum. 

"My daughter told me, and then my niece had said there's a video, and I was like 'get the video'," the woman, who wants to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, said.

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RELATED: Video of baby and sibling vaping goes viral

"He doesn't really know what's what"

The clip shows the little boy, dressed in a bright yellow t-shirt with a dinosaur on it, holding a large vape in his hands, and standing at the door of an open bathroom stall.

He then puts it to his mouth and inhales deeply, before the item being snatched from his hand by a seemingly much older student.

Since seeing the footage, the mum has been desperately seeking answers from the school and from the associated Milwaukee Public School (MPS).

"Why was my son in the bathroom unattended? He don't know better, and to add on top of that, he's special ed, on top of it, so he doesn't really know what's what. I feel like he should've had someone with him at all times."

She added: "When I let my kids walk in that door, ain't no telling what's gonna happen to them. They not safe, I don't have no type of peace of mind when they at school. It's like a win, lose situation."

Image: TMJ4

MPS issued the following statement when contacted by media:

"MPS takes student health and safety very seriously. We were concerned by what we saw in this video when it was reported to us ... We are taking all appropriate steps to ensure this incident is addressed according to our policies and procedures...

"We are also actively reviewing this incident to see what lessons can be learned to prevent it from happening again.”

RELATED: How bad is vaping and should it be banned?

This is not the first time that young children have been forced to vape by elders around them. Kidspot has previously reported on the pressure one middle school student in Sydney felt when using the bathroom occupied by older, vaping students, footage of a baby and its sibling vaping, and bullies who forced a boy to smoke a fentanyl-laced vape.

In 2023, the authoritative Australian publication The Conversation wrote:

"There's mounting evidence pointing to physical health harms and unknown mental health risks from vaping. There's no reason for a teen to be vaping, even if adults might take this approach in quitting smoking.

"Many vapes contain nicotine, whatever the label says, with the potential for dependence or addiction."

Resources for parents about vaping

There are numerous support groups from which parents can seek advice about vaping.

Parents can call Quitline (phone: 13 78 48) and contact a GP to help their teen treat dependence.

Further resources about vaping for parents and teens is available at these links: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Australia Capital Territory and Northern Territory.

Originally published as 5yo is forced to vape in school bathroom by older students