Vaping teens are taking over school bathrooms

Sept. 21, 2023 | Written by Erin Donnelly

Is smoking making a comeback? As Kerry Justich notes, celebrities like Dua Lipa and Timothée Chalamet have been lighting up in public, which health experts warn could influence their young fans to try cigarettes too. Meanwhile, it's e-cigarettes, or vapes, that are rife among teens — many of whom are taking over school bathrooms to puff away. Ahead, students share what it's like, and why measures to curb it don't seem to be working.

Tell us: Do you smoke or vape?

Teens are vaping in high school bathrooms all across America, wreaking havoc on health and learning: 'Everyone does it'

New statistics show that more than 2.55 million youth in the U.S. — including at least 14.1% of high school students and 3.3% of middle-schoolers — vape. And according to the teens who spoke to Beth Greenfield about what's happening in their school bathrooms, vaping is a big problem whether you live in Texas or Vermont. "I can’t go into any bathroom … because they are always filled with kids vaping," one high school senior told her. "It’s just a cloud of fog in there." Read on to see what schools are doing about it, and how parents can get involved.

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