CHILDREN SKIPPING SCHOOL TO VAPE, STUDY FINDS
Children are playing truant to vape, a study has found.
Use of the nicotine-containing electronic devices has also been linked to bad behaviour.
Research by Scottish academics on teenagers’ use of vapes and nicotine pouches found pupils were skipping lessons to use the products amid growing signs of addiction among young people.
Staff claim dealing with the issue is taking them away from teaching to patrol school grounds and toilets and engage with local retailers.
The research found that the addictive nature of the products was leading to bad behaviour in the classrooms, as pupils got “agitated” when told they could not vape.
Teaching staff also told of pupils fainting and being sick in the school, which they attributed to the products.
The study, jointly led by the University of Stirling and the Scottish Centre for Social Research, involved focus groups and interviews with 13 school staff and 77 teenage pupils at four secondary schools in Scotland’s central belt.
One teacher told the researchers: “I’ve got a ... pupil who vapes every 20 minutes. Every 20 minutes. [They are] up till 4am ... [and] really struggling to get to classes.”
Another staff member said: “There’s a couple, or maybe more than a couple, in here that are totally addicted to it ... and they’ll tell you, they’re very upfront about it. So that is having an impact on behaviour, because it’s like if they don’t get out of class, they’re getting more and more agitated.”
One pupil admitted they were taking steps to avoid being caught vaping: “I’ve been caught about five times ... so you just need to realise what to do and what not to do.”
Staff members called for more support to teach pupils about the risks of vaping.
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Dr Allison Ford, associate professor at the University of Stirling’s institute for social marketing and health, and the main investigator of the study, said: “Pupils reported widespread use of vapes and nicotine pouches, and missed classes and played truant because they were using these products in a variety of places, including school toilets and outside school grounds.
“A few pupils felt they were addicted to nicotine and reported adverse health effects.
“School staff adopted a range of approaches to address the issue, including regular patrols and sweeps of school areas, monitoring toilet facilities and visiting neighbourhood shops to encourage more robust retail practices.
“They are also confiscating vapes and issuing exclusions or detentions for their use.
“However, staff said they have limited knowledge of vapes and nicotine pouches, and felt less confident addressing the risks, compared with tobacco-related teaching. They called for more resources to support teaching about the risks of nicotine use among young people.”
‘Negative health effects’
Dr Andy MacGregor, director of policy research at the Scottish Centre for Social Research, said: “School staff are spending a considerable amount of time trying to address vaping. Pupils are experiencing negative health effects and missing classes, while those who do not vape can find the atmosphere in school toilets intimidating.
“Staff also thought that tobacco use among pupils was no longer occurring, whereas pupils said that it was still an issue, although less common than vaping.
“Teaching resources covering vaping and nicotine pouch use and risks would support those delivering personal and social education. Addressing the issue would allow staff and pupils to engage more fully in learning and focus on other priorities.”
Prof Jamie Pearce, of the University of Edinburgh, one of the paper’s co-authors, said the UK Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, which was granted Royal Assent on April 29, could help address the issue.
“The Tobacco and Vapes Act will impact the marketing and regulation of NNPs [novel nicotine products], including introducing age restrictions to prevent under-18s from purchasing nicotine products, banning free distribution, and enabling regulation of flavours, packaging and display,” he said.
“A wider societal approach is needed to address the use and impact of vapes and other nicotine products among young people. Restrictions on availability, accessibility, marketing, price and flavourings are likely to be required and should be implemented as quickly as possible.”
2026-05-05T22:05:38Z
