Efforts to clamp down on a surging number of young people vaping requires a whole of society approach rather than just in-classroom education, according to the Queensland Teachers' Union.
Figures released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show the use of e-cigarettes, also known as vaping, has risen rapidly in the past three years.
The data shows e-cigarette use by Australians aged 14 or older has more than doubled between 2016 and 2019, and is most common among those aged 18-24.
18.7 per cent of those in that age bracket had vaped — an increase from 6.8 per cent in 2016.
That has led the Queensland Premier to announce a parliamentary inquiry into vaping this week, which will focus on the chemicals and ingredients in vapes.
Queensland Teachers Union president Cresta Richardson said vaping had become an issue across the state's schools in the past three years, despite attempts to educate students and families about the dangers.
"Our members have been really professional, and leading the way in the community about educating not only students, but their families about vaping," Ms Richardson said.
"But it is something that we more and more hear about as an issue in our schools."
School students suspended
It comes after students from a Rockhampton Catholic school were suspended after a video posted to social media platform TikTok showed them vaping in a school change room.
Emmaus College North Rockhampton principal Eamon Hannan said in a statement issued on Tuesday the behaviour was "very disappointing" and did not align with the college values.
Mr Hannan said the students involved had been suspended while the incident was being investigated.
Ms Richardson said there needed to be a broad approach to addressing vaping.
"As a community, we all have our part to play in it and we can all see different videos here and there of what might be happening," Ms Richardson said.
"Schools definitely have a part to play, but so do parents, and so does the wider community.
She said smoking cigarettes had been managed as a community issue.
"It's had a response from all levels of government, the community has now got a response to it and the education piece around that for the whole community has been all encompassing in and around cigarettes," she said.
"I think that there is a place for that to be for the wider community, perhaps with vaping as well."
The Lung Foundation said the novelty nature of vape devices, the influence of a direct family member or friend who vaped and the incorrect perception that vaping was relatively harmless — particularly compared to regular cigarettes — were among the top reasons young people were taking up the activity.
It said viral online trends involving vapes had become increasingly popular, and with flavours such as mango and strawberry available, the smell and taste was enticing.
It also said affordability made vapes attractive as they were much cheaper than cigarettes.
Although sales are restricted in Australia, vaping equipment can easily be obtained online.
Addiction cycle
Queensland University of Technology pharmaceutical sciences researcher Selena Bartlett said students who were vaping at school would be more distracted and found it difficult to learn as addiction affected the prefrontal cortex of the brain.
"[It's] the part of the brain that allows us to say no to ourselves, and allows us to learn and listen and pay attention," Professor Bartlett said.
"So those parts of the brain are affected by addiction."
Professor Bartlett said some children who took up vaping could find it led to further addiction, while others could do it as a result of peer pressure.
"Not everyone has the same capacity for addiction, so if you've got more stress in your life, then you've got more chance of becoming addicted to something," she said.
"If you're seeing lots of young people vaping, outside, just the peer pressure to fit in, you'll find that some will go on to become highly addictive, and some will become less addicted."
Professor Bartlett said just one puff of a vape set the brain up to need more.
"There'll be an increase in dopamine release in the brain and it's that dopamine that makes you feel good and it also drives your motivation to want to have more," she said.
"Eventually, you might have started with one vape but then why is it one year later that one vape does nothing for you anymore?
"You need to have 10 vapes to get the same feeling of stress relief or feeling good.
"That's called the addiction cycle."
Editor’s note (16/03/23): An earlier version of this story reported that the suspended students were vaping in a school classroom. The article has been corrected to reflect that it was a change room.
