Community Wellbeing
Vaping - dangerous and prohibited
St Anne’s College, like many other schools, is aware that vaping has become increasingly popular among young people and is an emerging societal health issue. This is of great concern to our college, where the health and wellbeing of our students is a top priority.
It’s evident that a collaborative and consistent approach from the whole college community - parents, carers, role models, peers, Learning Mentors and all support staff is the best way to help educate students and address behaviours. Talking to children and young people is vitally important.
Vaping is banned and is considered a prohibited and illegal item amongst students at St Anne’s College.
Key vaping facts:
The biggest misunderstanding about vaping is that it is harmless compared to cigarette smoking. Many vapes contain nicotine, even if labelled ‘nicotine-free’. The nicotine in one vape can equal 50 cigarettes. Nicotine can cause long-lasting negative effects on young people’s brain development, including impaired learning ability and altered mood, and can increase the risk of depression and anxiety.
Vapes can contain the same harmful chemicals found in cleaning products, nail polish remover, weed killer and bug spray, which can lead to serious lung diseases.
The laws around selling vapes:
In Victoria, it is illegal for any person aged 18 or over to obtain, possess or use nicotine vapes, or nicotine liquids for use in a vape, without a prescription. It is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to, or buy e-cigarettes for, any person aged under 18 years whether or not the vape contains nicotine. It is also illegal for any individual to smoke or vape on school premises or within 4 metres of a school entrance.
Talk to your child about vaping:
It’s important to take the time to talk to your child about the risks of vaping, regardless of whether you suspect they are vaping or not. Start the conversation in a relaxed easygoing way, perhaps taking cues from TV stories about vaping, in the car or when seeing someone vape in the street. Ask what they know about vaping and clear up any misconceptions they may have. When discussing the risks of vaping, try to understand and address the different factors that might motivate them to vape such as peer pressure or stress.
There are a number of resources available to us all, such as:
https://www.quit.org.au/articles/teenvaping/
https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/E-cigarettes_and_teens/
https://adf.org.au/talking-about-drugs/parenting/vaping-youth/vaping-australia/
- Mel Formica, Wellbeing Officer