We’ve all heard the term “vaping,” and that many people, primarily teens, have been doing it. Across the country, teens are vaping during school, especially in bathrooms in an attempt to go unnoticed. Many schools have noticed the increasing number of teens vaping or using E-cigarettes, and some schools have taken the initiative to prevent people from vaping by implementing nicotine sensors in school bathrooms.

Various students and administrators are aware of the procedures here at RB, but most of them aren’t being followed. As teachers and administrators in America are trying to mitigate vaping in schools, the problem is gradually escalating with kids struggling.

“From the health perspective, we know that for the most part that smoking and breathing pollution is bad. From a legal standpoint, vaping is illegal under the age of 18,” said (title) William Frey.

The effects of drugs on the body seem to have no bearing on teens’ decision to vape, much less their decision to do it during school hours. Most are under the impression that it is a perfectly safe alternative to cigarettes,

“I guess it’s like smoking and a little less bad to inhale, but it’s still not good,” freshman Sarah Wood said.

“[The trend] just exploded in the last five years and in Cook County at [the] age of 18, it isn’t illegal to vape, and it’s really [trendy] now,” said Frey.

This generation seems to have experienced an increase in the number of young people vaping daily, and how it has developed into a ‘trendy’ habit. Additionally, people don’t abide by the laws, and many are vaping under the age of 18.

“I think we have a problem maturing too fast…[there is] too much pressure during this early period of young people, and other kids earlier are doing stuff like that,” said Roche.

To get to the root of the problem, though, many find that we should take more preventative measures to dissuade young people from vaping.

“To stop it and get more out of those ads out, that will show it’s bad for young teens,” Wood said.

Frey adds that the cause of vaping can likely be attributed to emotional stressors teens are dealing with.

“The biggest problem is…those teens can’t handle disappointment or failure, and they turn to drugs and haven’t been taught coping skills,” stated Frey.