As reported by the the BBC, more than half of secondary school teachers in England say vaping is a problem in their school, according to a BBC-commissioned survey
The poll of nearly 7,000 teachers, carried out via the Teacher Tapp app, found 52% of respondents were concerned about pupils using e-cigarettes on school premises.
The survey also revealed the scale of measures schools are taking to tackle the issue. Almost one in five teachers said vape detectors had been installed in their school, while 35% reported that additional staff had been deployed to patrol school grounds to deter pupils from vaping.
Some schools said they had gone further, redesigning their grounds by cutting back hedges and relocating shelters to make it harder for pupils to conceal themselves while vaping.
The findings come amid growing concern about the health impact of e-cigarettes on young people. The study estimated that 15 million children aged 13 to 15 use e-cigarettes worldwide, warning the devices are driving a “new wave” of nicotine addiction that risks “undermining decades of progress”.
Teachers have reported cases of pupils being treated in hospital, students hiding in toilets to vape and schools spending thousands of pounds on detection equipment, prompting warnings that youth vaping has become a “public health emergency”.
Unions and education leaders are now calling on the government to fund school-based education programmes on the dangers of vaping and to provide clearer guidance for staff on how to address the issue.
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