The latest Student Monitor shows that more and more young children are vaping. The proportion of pupils in years 7 and 8 of primary education who have ever vaped has more than doubled in recent years, from 3.2% in 2019 to 8.2% in 2023. This development is concerning, because vaping is very harmful to the developing brain.

What makes vaping so appealing?

In recent years, the harmful consequences of vaping have regularly been in the news. The days when people did not know that vaping is bad for you are truly behind us. But why, then, are more and more children starting to vape?

Vaping is learned behavior, just like all other harmful habits. Children learn by observing and imitating others. If they see people in their environment vaping, it quickly seems normal. Social media plays a major role in this; images of young people vaping are now impossible to ignore in the online environment.

In recent years, the tobacco industry has invested heavily in creating a new generation of nicotine addicts. While the social norm surrounding smoking has become increasingly negative as a result of various preventive measures, the industry has worked hard on the image of new products. Cheap, colorful disposable vapes with sweet flavors were massively promoted by influencers to reach and entice young people. Although these flavors are now banned, the positive association with vaping continues to exist among many young people.

Why education is not effective enough

When we want to reduce unhealthy behavior such as vaping, we often turn to education. Unfortunately, there is little evidence that this really helps. Of course, it is important to know the risks; otherwise, there is no reason to change one’s behavior. But knowing that something is harmful does not necessarily mean that we will behave differently.

Our choices are not based solely on rational considerations. How we think about something is a mix of all kinds of associations: what we know, but also how we feel about it. Education about risks does not change most of these associations. Moreover, young people place greater value on what is fun or appealing now than on possible consequences later.

For young children, education can even have the opposite effect. Research shows that lessons about smoking and alcohol in primary school can arouse curiosity in children who were not yet interested in these subjects themselves. By drawing attention to something that only affects a small group, you also create the impression that it is more common than it actually is.

So what should we do?

If we want to prevent young children from vaping, we need to ensure that they come into contact with it as little as possible. Primary schools play a very important role in this.

By far the majority of pupils in years 7 and 8 (91.8%) have never vaped. It is therefore important that they are not exposed to vaping in the school environment. The subject of vaping should therefore be included in school policy, with clear provisions setting out how rules are enforced and who is responsible for what. This policy should be clearly communicated to both pupils and parents, so that everyone knows that vaping is not allowed at school. In this way, the school establishes a clear standard: vaping is not normal and therefore will not be accepted!

In addition, the school can play an important role in supporting parents. Parents are the key to their child’s behavior. By setting clear rules and enforcing them consistently, they send a powerful signal about what is and is not acceptable. Nevertheless, many parents doubt their own influence. They are concerned about the health risks but do not know exactly what they can do. Because primary schools generally have good contact with parents, they can serve as an important link by supporting parents with practical tools and advice.

Get started!

Being cautious about education is very different from doing nothing. Primary education does indeed have a role to play in reducing vaping among pupils. A healthy pupil starts with a healthy environment, and the school can make a significant contribution to that.

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Simone Onrust is a senior scientific staff member at the Trimbos Institute.

Source: Trimbos Institute.