A secondary school in Scotland is taking a firm stance against the growing issue of teenage vaping. The Royal High School in Edinburgh has become one of the first in Scotland to introduce vape detectors in its toilets. Despite attempts to tackle the prevalent issue in schools, Principal Pauline Walker said that they have been fighting a losing battle and that they needed to send an unequivocal message to their students. The detectors, which cost the school almost £1,000, were installed in the school’s three main toilets at the start of March. They work similarly to smoke detectors by picking up the chemicals present in vape mist. If a student uses a vape nearby, the alarm sounds and staff receive a notification message.
The introduction of the vape detectors has been successful in deterring students from using vapes in the school toilets. Since the detectors were activated, the school has had “almost zero activations” in the bathrooms. This has allowed pupils to regain their space, which has become increasingly intimidating for younger pupils, and enabled staff to concentrate on other areas. Ms Walker said that she hoped the detectors would help prevent young people from continuing a habit that is harmful to their health.
The installation of the detectors is helping the school to support pupils who are addicted to vaping. Many of the vapes that young people acquire are nicotine-based. Unfortunately, a lot of these vapes are obtained from the black market and do not have controlled nicotine levels, making them particularly damaging. The school needs to support young people to give up vaping as they would with smokers.
The detectors have been introduced against a backdrop of significantly rising vape use among Scottish pupils. According to a Public Health Scotland survey of health behaviour in school-aged children carried out in 2022, over a third of 15-year-olds had used an e-cigarette at least once and a quarter were regular users. The school’s principal has said that social education teachers have found that at least 50% of the school’s students have tried or currently use vapes
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