Cigarette smoking among teenagers has drastically declined in the last two decades. But ask school administrators if they are celebrating, and the answer is clearly “no.” While magazines of the past advertised the wrinkly Marlboro cowboy, astride a horse, the image of today’s “smoker” has changed drastically. And teens have been the primary target of these alluring, new ad campaigns.
That orange and white smelly tube of leaves and styrofoam---the cigarette as we knew it--- is now chided as “something your parents did.” Whereas vaping and e-cigarettes have made their way into today’s social landscape of middle schoolers and teens. These smoking devices, it seems, do not have the same stigma that is attributed to the traditional cigarette. Even worse, myths abound that those that do not contain nicotine are not harmful to your health. (This is not true. In fact many toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde are a regular recipe of the mixture, even for those that claim to contain no nicotine).
And, yet, kids know that smoking---all smoking--- is bad. They have gotten the message that it is “gross”…and causes lung cancer. So how did the cigarette come back to the mouths of school kids, albeit in a disguised, stealthy form?
The tobacco industry reinvented a nicotine-delivery system that seamlessly blends in with teens’ everyday, digital life-style.
e-cigarettes (as well as other tools which emit a vapor instead of smoke) look like a cell phone battery or flash drive. Sleek metal or plastic cartridges have become a perfect compliment to teenagers’ world of electronics, digital media and cell phone use. In fact, many are re-chargeable, just like a cell phone. In effect, the fixation / routine use of one’s cell phone has been brilliantly leveraged (even if only subconsciously) by Big Tobacco to solidify this new type of smoking.
These devices also feature flavors such as strawberry or mint along with sets of pen-like devices that look very much like colored markers. It is painfully obvious that children and teens are being targeted by these ads! Sadly, the ad campaign is working.
In 2015, the U.S. Surgeon General reported that e-cigarette use among high school students had increased 900 percent, and nearly half of all e-cigarette users had never smoked traditional cigarettes.
Headaches for Principals and School Personnel Include:
Strategies to Curb the Problem – Thoughts to Consider
Tied into the social dynamics of being a middle or high schooler, this epidemic is even more complex. (Think peer pressure). An attitude of respect and understanding will pave the way for honest disclosure and problem-solving. Consequences and loss of privileges can still be enforced, but deal with the misbehavior in a respectful way with unconditional, positive regard. A healthy, open dialog about this continuing epidemic is essential. And this is because there does not appear to be an end in sight any time soon!
Written by Mandy Stern
Mandy Stern is a board-certified, licensed Educational Psychologist, with national certification in school psychology.
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