Teachers are sounding the alarm on school vaping. 

A new study shows teachers and other school staff are worried about the impact of rising e-cigarette use on student mental health and performance, with more than half saying it had caused a shift in school culture.

Over a third of those working with primary school aged children said at least some of their students use e-cigarettes, and a quarter said this had increased in the last two years.

Around 200 staff working in schools across Australia completed an online survey about vaping behaviours observed among their students. Just over half (57 per cent) were from New South Wales or Victoria and around a quarter (28 per cent) represented schools outside metropolitan areas.

Half (51 per cent) reported an increase in e-cigarette use among students in their schools over the past two years, ranging from 27 per cent of respondents working with primary school students to 72 per cent of those working with secondary school students.

The study also suggested that younger students tended to have different ways of accessing e-cigarettes than those in secondary school.

“We found that according to their teachers, primary school students were more likely to get e-cigarettes from their siblings or to take them from home without permission,” says research Professor Simone Pettigrew.

“Secondary school aged children were reported to be more likely to get someone else to buy for them, receive them from a friend aged over 18 or via the Internet.”

Despite the observed increase in e-cigarette use, only one-third of those surveyed reported that their schools had a vaping policy or provided vaping-prevention education for students.

“Our study suggests many Australian students can readily access e-cigarettes and that vaping in schools is becoming more prevalent, including in primary schools,” Professor Pettigrew said.

“School staff need greater support to address student e-cigarette use and prevent the negative consequences associated with vaping by children at school and beyond,” she added.

“But it’s not just a problem for schools - communities and governments also need to take note of this growing trend and take steps to protect young people from vaping harms.”

The full study is accessible here.