Talk to Youth About Vaping

If you have kids, or work with them, you’ve probably heard a lot of buzz about vaping, the latest trend in tobacco products. As a parent or trusted adult, it can be hard to advise teens about vaping if you don’t know much about it. Sometimes it may seem like we’re learning about vaping from teens themselves, but we know they may not have the most reliable information. And the Internet? Well, it’s got a lot of promotions for vaping that you should approach skeptically.

That’s why we at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment have put together resources especially for you. They’re designed to help you understand the ins and outs of vaping and then confidently talk with teens about it.

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Understanding the product

 

There are a lot of different vaping devices out there.

Get familiar with what they are and what they look like.

Get the facts, start the conversation.

According to the CDC, Colorado leads the nation in youth vaping (26.2% of youth vape in Colorado vs. 13.2% nationally).1 Colorado high schoolers vape at almost twice the national average. The alarming rise in youth use of vape has become such a concern that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently declared it an “epidemic”.2

Parents and other adults are important to youth: their opinions and support can make a big difference.

Below are resources to support you:

Free quit support for teens

In light of the high rates of youth vaping, the Colorado QuitLine’s web, text and phone programs are now available to those as young as 12. New web features and tobacco treatment specialists make quit support free and accessible for youth.

Access the Colorado QuitLine

Smoke-Free Teen, a website from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also provides free quit support for youth, including texting services, a mobile app, trained coaches, and healthy tips to handle stress and social pressure.

Visit Smokefree Teen

What are doctors saying?

Doctors have serious concerns about teens vaping. See what they have to say.

Tista Ghosh, M.D., MPH

Deputy Chief Medical Officer
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Daniel Kortsch, M.D.

Family Medicine
Denver Health

What are other Colorado parents saying?

“Colorado is ranked at TWICE the national average for teen vaping. That could be one of my children! My 14 year old step-son could so easily hear these misconceptions and think it’d be “cool” to try vaping and then get addicted.”

– Karaliz, Colorado Parent

Read the blog post.

 

“We, as parents, like to think that our kids will not fall into those statistics that scare us, but the reality is, it could happen. Time to talk to your kids about important topics that can and will affect them as they grow up, like vaping.”

– Censie, Colorado Parent

Read the blog post.

 

“As a teacher, the one thing that I make sure I do is build relationships. Talking to kids is easy for me, but for many parents, they may not know where to start. These resources are a great place to begin the conversation.”

– Laura, Colorado Educator and Parent

Read the blog post.

 

“My boys were appalled at the fact that vaping devices are candy flavored and being made and marketed in such a way that they’re attractive to kids.”

– Jamie, Colorado Parent

Read the blog post

 

“With a daughter in high school, I constantly wonder about what she’s thinking and experiencing with her friends and their families…so I sat down with her and we talked vaping.”

– Dave, Colorado Parent

Read the blog post