News Article
Are kids using nicotine in the classroom? What to look for and how to talk about risks
As students return to the classroom this fall, they’ll be excited to show off new clothes, sneakers, and electronics – and possibly new nicotine products.
According to data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, 1.63 million middle and high school students currently use e-cigarettes. New brands and product types continue to appear on the market at an extremely fast rate, and the most popular products from last fall have been replaced with new trends. Some new products – such as oral nicotine pouches – are extremely discreet, so it’s important that parents and educators know what to look for and how to talk to students who use these products.
Parents and educators can also refer to Truth Initiative’s vaping lingo dictionary, which provides a list of popular products as well as terms and phrases that young people may use to describe nicotine use.
Here are two new trendy products that parents and educators should be aware of as students return to school this fall.
New product alert: Oral nicotine pouches
what is a zin
Oral nicotine pouches, such as market leader Zyn, are a new and rapidly expanding category of nicotine products. These small, white pouches filled with nicotine powder and flavors can be placed discreetly between the top lip and gum. Due to their placement, they are sometimes called a “lip pillow” or “upper decky.”
Zyn is currently the brand with the largest market share, followed by On!, Rogue, and Velo. Like many youth-appealing e-cigarettes, oral nicotine pouches come in a variety of flavors including fruit, mint, coffee, cinnamon, and more. They also come in a variety of nicotine strengths, with some containing high concentrations of nicotine.
As of 2024, youth use of these products is relatively low, with 1.8% of middle and high school students reporting current use of oral nicotine products. Regardless, the discreet nature of the pouches (they are difficult to detect once inserted into the mouth) and their appealing flavors have raised concerns that these products could be attractive to young people.
New trend alert: “Smart” e-cigarettes that resemble gaming devices
Touch screen vape
In the newest trend among disposable e-cigarettes, manufacturers are now adding high-tech elements such as Bluetooth capability, high-definition screens, and speakers to their e-cigarette products, with some versions including games similar to Pac-Man and Tetris.
Some of these products, such as the Craftbox V-Play 20k disposable vape, feature video game controls that make the e-cigarette look like a handheld gaming device. Other brands include wireless speakers that users can pair with their phones, and some even light up while music is playing. Many of these products are sold for $20 or less, making them affordable for cost-conscious young people.
How to talk to students about nicotine use
How to talk to students about nicotine use
As students return to school, it’s important that teachers and administrators know how to respond if they catch students using nicotine products.
It’s best to respond with support, not punishment. Students who violate tobacco policies should be approached in a supportive way that focuses on encouraging them to quit. Suspending students can cause even more problems at school and beyond, leading to lower test scores and graduation rates, among other poor outcomes. Racial bias can also be a factor in school suspensions, sometimes laying a path toward incarceration.
It’s also important to introduce all students to vaping prevention and quit resources. To help schools address youth nicotine use, Truth Initiative and Kaiser Permanente collaborated with the American Heart Association to produce a national youth vaping prevention curriculum called Vaping: Know the truth. The curriculum offers a modern approach to guide teachers and educate youth about the dangers associated with nicotine use, giving them the facts about e-cigarettes and resources to quit through a first-of-its-kind text message program that has helped more than 750,000 youth and young adults on their quit journeys. The entire curriculum can be accessed online at no cost through leading social impact education innovator EVERFI.
