'I was mortified at what I found in my 12-year-old daughter’s school bag'

A mother delivers a desperate plea for the government to tackle the vaping epidemic for our younger generations.

Sarah was absolutely horrified by what she found in her daughter’s school bag, but what she discovered next was even more shocking.

“Honestly, I was mortified, It has completely imploded now. We’ve, to some extent, left it a little bit too late," she reveals to 7News.

The Perth mum-of-three recently discovered an electronic cigarette in her 12-year-old’s backpack, only to then find out that she was sold the device at school and had been smoking for a while.

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Sarah was absolutely devastated when she found an e-cigarette in her 12yo's school bag. Source: 7News

 "I was completely mortified to discover my 12yo vapes"

Sarah was utterly shocked and in a state of panic, but soon realised, she was not alone.

“In all honesty, I was completely mortified,” she said

“It has completely imploded now. We’ve, to some extent, left it a little bit too late.

“There’s a real urgency to it now. You would not believe how many teenagers are doing this.”

As the epidemic of vaping rises, the passionate mother pleads for government support in tackling this issue.

Vape pens are battery-operated devices that heat a liquid vapour, often containing tobacco that is inhaled, a craze many young people are jumping on board with… much to their own detriment.

RELATED: ‘I will continue to vape through my pregnancy’

The vaping epidemic is rising in young people. Source: iStock

"Vaping is the genie in a bottle, we're desperately trying to get back in"

According to Australian surveys that highlight the increase of adolescent vaping, 14 per cent  of 12 to 17-year-olds have tried a vape, and 32 per cent of those kids have used one in the past month alone.

The survey further revealed that 74 per cent of young adults aged 18-24 initially only tried vapes out of curiosity in their younger years, and now 64 per cent of them are still addicted.

It is also noted in the survey that young people who are exposed to toxic chemicals  hinder their brain development which leads to dependence on the addiction, as well as increase their risk of developing lung cancer, heart disease.

Stunted physical and cognitive development - combined with a highly increased risk of disease is what is promised with each puff.

“It’s almost like the genie’s got out of the bottle and we’re desperately trying to put it back in,” Cancer Council WA chief executive Ashley Reid said candidly.

“We do not want to undo decades of really amazing, world-leading work in tobacco control to let vaping get away from us.”

RELATED: Boy rushed to hospital after trying vape at school

Dangers of vaping in young people and how to talk to them about it:

• Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development, which continues into the early to mid-20s
• E-cigarettes can contain other harmful substances besides nicotine
• Young people who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future
• Most e-cigarettes (vapes) contain nicotine—the addictive drug in regular cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products
• A CDC study found that 99% of the e-cigarettes sold in assessed venues in the United States contained nicotine
• Some vape product labels do not disclose that they contain nicotine, and some vape liquids marketed as containing 0% nicotine have been found to contain nicotine
• Nicotine can harm the developing adolescent brain. The brain keeps developing until about age 25
• Each time a new memory is created or a new skill is learned, stronger connections – or synapses – are built between brain cells. Young people’s brains build synapses faster than adult brains. Nicotine changes the way these synapses are formed.
• Using nicotine in adolescence may also increase risk for future addiction to other drugs.
• To talk to them about vaping, start with information. Get the key facts, learn the basics about vaping products, and think through what you want to say.
• Focus on health and explain your concerns.

Source: Vaping in Australia: Talking about drugs.

Originally published as 'I was mortified at what I found in my 12-year-old daughter’s school bag'