Teenagers are hiding vapes in school toilet ceilings and sanitary bins so they are not confiscated by teachers, alarming new research has revealed.
Rising vaping levels and use of nicotine pouches among children is now having a significant impact on schools across Scotland, the researchers warned, with attendance and behaviour suffering.
School staff have had to visit local stores in a bid to stop them selling vapes to under-18s and teachers have started patrolling toilets in a bid to stop youngsters vaping.
Fire alarms also keep being triggered by the clouds generated from the electronic devices.
But children have become savvier with hiding their vapes.
New research from the University of Stirling and the Scottish Centre for Social Research laid bare the scale of the issues facing the country’s schools.
Speaking to some 77 pupils aged 14 to 16, as well as 13 members of staff across four central belt schools in a series of focus groups, teachers said some youngsters are showing signs of nicotine addiction.
And school staff told researchers that teachers are spending considerable time and resources responding to the issue.
Pupils reported leaving lessons and missing classes to vape or use nicotine pouches contributing to truancy and disruption, the study found.
Alarmingly the youngsters continue to use so-called New Nicotine Products (NNPs) despite the health effects, with pupils reporting concerning issues from burning sensations in the mouth and sweat attacks to passing out and vomiting.
The disruptive impact of vapes on Scotland's pupils was explored in the study
Dr Allison Ford, associate professor at the University of Stirling’s Institute for Social Marketing and Health, said the survey found children are dodging classes in order to vape
Dr Allison Ford, associate professor at the University of Stirling’s Institute for Social Marketing and Health, said: ‘Pupils reported widespread use of NNPs, such as 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.’
The study called '"I’ve got a pupil who vapes every 20 Minutes”: exploration of the wider impact on schools of young people’s use of new nicotine products in the UK’, found that ‘both pupils and staff said that a number of pupils were experiencing symptoms of nicotine addiction, which was clearly interfering with and disruptive to their learning and wellbeing’.
One member of staff revealed a pupil used their vape every 20 minutes with the boy who was regularly up until 4am getting through a 4,000-puff device in just a few days.
Some parents are said to ‘not view the vaping of their child negatively’, and one child revealed: ‘My parents know. They only found out like two weeks ago, and they’ve caught me so many times they’re just like, “Whatever, I’m not going to stop you anymore”.’
Schools are confiscating the products but the paper, which has been published in BMJ Open, said: ‘It was noted in one school that pupils were using areas of the school toilets, including ceiling spaces above the sinks and sanitary bins in the female toilets, as hiding places for vapes for use during break times.’
Sheila Duffy, chief executive of health charity, ASH Scotland, said the findings of the study were ‘alarming but not surprising’.
She added: ‘People who work with children and participate in ASH Scotland’s Youth Conversations Hub have consistently raised concerns about school pupils vaping and, more recently, using nicotine pouches during school time.’
Ms Duffy said the new Tobacco and Vapes Act will tackle the advertising and promotions of nicotine produces including vapes and nicotine pouches to protect young people and concluded: ‘Urgent progress, however, is now needed on consulting on further measures, enabled by the Act, to ban added flavours and prevent imagery, colours and branding attractive to children on all vapes, nicotine pouches and their packaging.’