Vaping is back – among youngsters this time

VAPING was a big hit in Malaysia back in 2015, before becoming less popular in the following years

However, it seems the e-cigarette trend is back again, and this time, it’s a hit among our youngsters.

Many school students have been caught of late in possession of vaping devices. Videos are going viral on social media showing school students – in uniform – proudly puffing away.

If this culture is not banned, our future generation will quickly face health problems from this unhealthy habit.

Not all vape liquid has zero nicotine and, of course, it is well known that nicotine is addictive, harmful to health and your pocket.

As a parent and educator, I find this new trend very disturbing. The vaping devices now seem to have evolved into attracting young children.

They can be in the form of a watch, a pen or even a small car key. This makes it difficult for ­parents and teachers to identify the devices.

Also, the sweet smell of the vaping liquid makes it difficult to distinguish it from perfume.

The cheap price makes the ­devices available to youngsters. Though they are underage when it comes to tobacco cigarettes and cannot buy them, students can simply purchase devices and liquids easily through online stores.

I hope that the problem can be curbed by imposing rules and regu­lations on who can use these devices. It is important for our nation to produce future generations that are physically and mentally fit.

NADZRAH SA’ADAN

Lecturer

Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Johor