E-cigarette use, commonly known as vaping, is on the rise among K-12 schools, making it a growing health epidemic across traditional education settings. Although use of vapes has declined in recent years, the use of e-cigs and vapes among middle and high school students is still alarmingly high. Here’s what to know about vape detection in K-12 schools and how today’s schools around the world are addressing this widespread issue.
The Scope of Vaping in Schools
A significant number of students have taken up vaping in recent years. According to the 2024 Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey, approximately 6% of high school and middle school students reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, a slight decrease from the previous year’s 7.7%. However, this still translates to over 1.6 million adolescents participating in vaping.
This translates to a number of health implications for students. Nicotine exposure during adolescence, when the brain is still developing, can disrupt the inner circuitry that controls attention and learning. Over time, this can lead to long-term cognitive issues. What’s more, inhaling the various chemicals in e-cigarette vapor can cause respiratory issues and health problems, not just for the student that’s involved in the vaping, but those in their environment as well.
Vaping also poses a major problem in the school environment. Vape use can create a disruptive atmosphere with students avoiding areas where vaping occurs, like locker rooms or bathrooms. This can lead to increased absenteeism and social isolation. Peer pressure can also affect students and may encourage them to start vaping in an attempt to fit in with their friends. For this reason, it’s more important than ever to address the issue of vaping not only with vape detectors, but with a multi-pronged approach that includes education and transparency as well.
Policy Enforcement and Education
At the heart of vape detection in K-12 schools is the need for policy enforcement and education. Having clear policies prohibiting the use of vapes on school premises is the first step in making it clear that e-cigarettes will not be tolerated. By teaching students about the dangers of e-cigarette use and integrating these lessons into health class curriculums, schools can help deter students from starting to vape and encourage those who do vape, to quit.
Counseling and Support Services
Making sure that students have access to the right support services is also crucial to stopping the spread of vaping. Addition develops rapidly and recognizing this, many schools offer counseling support services to students who are interested in stopping vaping. Numerous resources are available to help students, parents and staff alike educate themselves on the dangers of vaping and how to quit.
These days, it’s not only the addictive nature of vaping that makes it so attractive. There are even new generations of e-cigarettes that add a layer of interactivity and gaming. These products have touch screens and games. One company has a disposable vape that allows them to earn points via a roulette wheel. Another offers a game where every time you puff, you earn food to feed your virtual pet. In another game, you count your puffs and upload them to social media for rankings and prizes.
Installing and Using Vape Detectors in Schools
It’s understandably concerning, which is why so many schools have turned to vape detectors to help combat this growing epidemic. Soter Technologies is proud to offer one of the most advanced vape detection systems available on the market today, the FlySense line of vape detectors.
The FlySense line of products has been developed to sense the unique chemical traces of vape ingredients including nicotine and THC. What’s more, because FlySense devices contain no cameras or microphones, they can go where cameras and microphones cannot, such as locker rooms and bathrooms.
If vape particles are detected, FlySense can notify school officials who can quickly intervene. The notification includes the time and place of the incident. Beyond simply sensing particles in the air, FlySense is also designed to monitor sound levels. Higher sound levels may be an indication of bullying or fighting, and having this level of detection where surveillance cameras are unavailable can be crucial to deterring aggressive actions and protecting student health and wellness.
Learn More about the FlySense Line of Products
We understand that school officials and administrators may have numerous questions about vaping and vape detectors. We’re proud to be behind eight generations of FlySense devices, consistently improving the skill and sensitivity with which these devices can detect vaping. Today, FlySense devices are active in school districts across all 50 states as well as over 30 countries. Over 3,000 school districts use FlySense to help create and maintain a healthy learning environment for students.
FlySense features a number of cutting-edge features that help K-12 schools stay informed and stay ahead of the vaping epidemic. With features including real-time, instant notification, device sensitivity customization and tamper evidence notifications, staff can act quickly to prevent damage to the devices as well as be notified when incidents occur.
FlySense is designed to provide 24/7 “Environmental Intelligence” by constantly monitoring indoor air quality, sound and much more.
The latest version, the FlySense FS300, includes smart auto assessment capabilities that let it diagnose anomalies in the air. It also integrates into our new cloud-based portal, EoT Live. We’ve redesigned this portal to make it easy for K-12 schools and other campuses to quickly and easily view key information across a number of access levels. With new features such as enhanced reporting, subscription options, the ability to add additional devices and more, there’s no better time to be a part of the initiatives that are helping to stem the tide in student vaping.
To learn more about our products, visit our website or read the many case studies from our clients, including schools across the U.S. and Canada who have made impressive strides in fighting back against the vaping epidemic.
