According to NeighborhoodScout.com, Milpitas’ safety level, based on crime rate, falls in the lower 15th percentile of the nation. Milpitas High School is also considered a highly competitive school, rated 10/10 for college readiness and test scores. However, “there may be students who are not getting the opportunities they need to succeed” according to greatschools.org. This stress surrounds teens on a daily basis, whether it be trying to perform well in school, or being exposed to crime in our small town. Thus, many turn toward vaping as an outlet. However, vaping is not the solution, and it never has been.
Many have heard the all too familiar story before. “Don’t vape! It’s bad for your lungs! You’ll end up with a hole in your throat!” Many teens may feel they have the statistics on vaping memorized, but there’s still many numbers that need to be known. 27.5% of high school students vape, according to the Truth Initiative, and 1 million youth e-cigarette users use vapes on a daily basis. These numbers are larger than just 27.5% of students trying a new highschool thrill, this correlates to nearly 27.5% of students dipping their toes into the health risks of nicotine, and experiencing depression and anxiety due to vaping.
Besides the numbers, there is a human factor to it: Why do we choose to vape? Whether students decide to vape to cope with the anxieties of school or home or just to fit in, there is always a motive or rationale behind vaping. Vaping has been proven to be safer than its generic cigarette counterparts, so it appeals even more to the youth. But vaping isn’t an issue that can be solved with a 50-minute presentation; it is an issue that hits deeper for many teens. Behind the thick clouds that students blow in the bathroom is a person that may be dealing with much more than one can see at first glance. Many lean on vaping as their means of escaping their fast-paced lives and find something, not to solve their problems, but to distract themselves from them.
Blowing “ghost inhales” and “O’s” may be the only thing on a teenager’s mind. Vaping is a difficult issue, but it begins with changing the way we approach it. Understanding all the issues that teenagers face isn’t resonable, but realizing a guest speaker appearance isn’t going to cut it anymore is part of the process. There have been many solutions that have worked such as preparing students for peer pressure through programs like D.A.R.E. However, at the end of the day, problems like vaping that affect teens on a large scale take time. If showing statistics to teenagers and constantly telling them they are throwing their lives away to a vape pen isn’t working, the only thing that can be done is to start making some changes to how we approach the problem.
Building close connections and communication with teens is important, yet so difficult in large schools like our own. Allowing teens to come to adults and not be afraid to say anything that may be going on in their lives is the first step in the right direction. Starting small, by building the “trusted adult” connection can be done by simply talking to students in a friendly setting. Although being professional is a big part of being a teacher, making sure to bridge the gap between students and teachers appropriately may show greater benefits.