SOCIAL media influencers and a constantly evolving stream of new must-try flavours is compounding what a frontline health expert says is one of the biggest issues facing Ballarat schools.
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Within five years, the number of teenagers who vape has risen from one in 100 to one in seven becoming regular e-cigarette users, new federal health department data shows.
Ballarat Community Health health promotion officer Jacinta Walsh is calling on young people to become more aware of what they were putting into their body when choosing to vape.
Ms Walsh said too often young people and their parents thought vaping involved little more than water vapour and was better than smoking. Instead, young people were ingesting aerosol with chemicals used in products like weed killers and bug sprays.
Fast rising vaping rates and calls for help from schools in this city have been consistent with what other independent health organisations were experiencing across the state.
Data also detailed teenage smoking rates have increased for the first time in 25 years, rising to 6.7 per cent after having fallen to 2.1 per cent in 2018.
Ms Walsh, who specialises in reducing tobacco harm, said smoking was still "very much frowned upon" among most Ballarat young people but a lot of this cohort were starting to vape when they might otherwise never consider smoking.
She has found peer pressure, including savvy social media and marketing, remained driving forces in vaping uptake among young people. Nicotine got them hooked - most e-cigarette products contain it, even if not marked on the label.
"Vaping might be a social activity initially but then they bring out new flavours and someone having a vape says you have to try the new flavour," Ms Walsh said. "...New flavours contribute to young people trying more."
Social media images of young people taking a puff, coupled with friends posting their own vape photos created a powerful marketing tool that Ms Walsh said influenced teenagers "so young".
Ballarat Community Health has been working with most secondary schools in the city with teachers and support staff reaching out for advice.
Ms Walsh said vaping impacts on mental health were telling.
"A lot of students desperately get fidgety because all they can think about is leaving class to vape...It's impacting on their learning," Ms Walsh said.
"Some might try vaping when they're feeling down for a bit of stress relief but when they try to quit, and can't because of the nicotine, their mental health can become negative. If they had got the mental health support they needed initially, it might be different."
Vape use has been confirmed to cause seizures, lung, facial and oral injuries, dizziness, loss of concentration, and nicotine poisoning.
Teenagers brains are still developing and health experts point out this makes them more vulnerable to addiction.
RELATED COVERAGE
Quit Victoria's new vaping awareness campaign adds toxic chemicals often in e-cigarettes are known causes of cancer and heart and lung diseases. The campaign warns passive inhalation could expose others to these toxic chemicals.
Similarly, University of Sydney associate professor in public health Becky Freeman told The Courier last week vaping tended to be more socially acceptable and discreet than smoking among young people.
Under law, a person cannot vape where they cannot smoke.
Children can face significant fines for vaping in Victoria in public spaces and transport, including school buses, bus stops and train stations.
IN OTHER NEWS
The federal government has vowed to ban the import of all non-prescription e-cigarettes under a $234 million regulatory crackdown announced in the May budget, but no funding was set aside to enforce it.
In Victoria, it is illegal to sell e-cigarette products to anyone aged under-18 and is generally limited to people with a prescription from their general practitioner.
Ms Walsh said most young people and parents were shocked when they realised what vaping was actually dragging into the lungs.
For young people, parents and influential adults seeking support on vaping:
Visit Quit Victoria's advice site, vapingfacts.org.au, for facts and to better understand vaping risks and to make informed decisions.
Young people can also visit Headspace, a general practitioner, school well-being teams or call or text Quitline on 13 7848.
Ballarat Community Health also offers smoking and vaping cessation support, including free and confidential peer support for young people.
Have you tried The Courier's app? It can be downloaded here.
