Playbl Newsletter | July 2024

🖐️ Welcome to this month’s Playbl Newsletter, where we provide research-based content to educators and clinicians to support their behavioral health work with youth. This week’s edition focuses on smoking and vaping, an epidemic-level issue affecting young people. Happy reading

The Marlboro Man was the most popular cigarette brand among young people in the 70s. In 1975, 75% of 12th graders reported trying smoking cigarettes. In 2023, that number was down to 15%. It took nearly 50 years to undo the harms of cigarette company advertising and promotions through print media, billboards, sporting events, sales displays, popular films, and specialty items. 

The vaping industry has risen quickly in popularity through many of the same targeted means. Clever marketing campaigns, exciting flavors, and the misconception that vaping is less harmful than other tobacco products are all factors.

When asked about vaping nicotine in the past 30 days, 17% of 8/10/12th graders surveyed reported use with 9.5% reporting vaping more than 10 days in the past 30. This compares with 3% reporting any cigarette smoking in the past 30 days.

The increase in use of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) or vape products by young people has put a strain on schools. The academic, health, and financial impacts on students and the entire school community are significant. 

But, as healthcare professionals and educators we can reverse the trends. Below are three steps to follow:

#1 – Provide prevention education at every age

It’s important to speak early and often about the harms of vaping. Young children know smoking is bad, they need to have the same reaction regarding vaping.

The Tobacco Education and Resource Library created by the Food and Drug Administration provides lesson plans and classroom activities with free print and download materials that provide science-based information about vaping in both English and Spanish.  

Other interactive educational resources include  peer-led and adult moderated training such as CATCH My Breath  or self-paced student learning programs including Playbl’s smokeSCREEN.

CATCH My Breath is an evidence-based youth vaping prevention program that consists of four in-class modules and utilizes a peer-led teaching approach. These modules feature interactive activities that deliver important information while developing skills, aiming to empower youth and enable them to make informed decisions about vaping

smokeSCREEN is an evidence-based smoking and vaping prevention videogame delivered at the individual level and designed for adolescents aged 10–16 years from Playbl. smokeSCREEN addresses various challenges teens face with a dedicated focus on youth decision-making around smoking and vaping and includes strategies for both tobacco use prevention and cessation.

#2 – Respond to students who vape with support, not punishment

Students who vape need a supportive, non-punitive mindset in their school environment. Some schools address vaping through restorative practices. They remove punitive measures in response to poor decisions and instead look closely at the underlying causes of the behavior, providing an opportunity for the youth to comprehend poor decision making and how those decisions affect them, their peers, and their community. To try this :

Start with a conversation: Instead of accusation, try initiating a dialogue. Ask why they vape and listen without judgment. This creates a safe space for them to be honest and open.

Focus on well-being: Express concern for their health and the impact of nicotine on their developing brain.

Educate through facts: Adopt an alternative to suspension program that provides information about the risks of vaping, including addiction, lung damage, and long-term health effects. 

• The American Lung Association offers the INDEPTH – Alternative to Suspension – program. INDEPTH is an interactive program that teaches students about nicotine dependence. A free one-hour training prepares facilitators to implement four 50-minute sessions in their schools. 
• The Stanford Medicine REACH lab also offers Healthy Futures, a program geared to students who have been caught using any tobacco product. The program includes self-paced lessons, group sessions, quitting resources and more.
• Playbl’s smokeSCREEN game can also be used as a self-paced learning experience for in-school suspensions in schools that do not have it available as a prevention tool.

With these resources,  the hope is that students will feel more supported and encouraged to access the help they need. 

Support quitting (if they’re ready):

• Offer resources: Let them know about support options like quitting programs, hotlines, or online resources. This is Quitting is a free text messaging program from the Truth Initiative.
• Positive reinforcement: Acknowledge and praise their efforts to quit, no matter how small.

Students need to establish healthy alternatives that will deter them from using in the future.

#3 – Engage with the full school community to make a difference

Student tobacco use, including vaping, is best addressed through a comprehensive approach including, for example,  education, policy, and incorporation of information into the curriculum. 

1. Educate parents, students and staff about electronic products, including the dangers of vaping. 
2.  Update tobacco policy to include the prohibition of all tobacco products, including the prohibition of electronic products such as JUUL. 
3. Incorporate information on electronic products into health education classes and curriculum. 

About Playbl

If you would like to learn more about building a school environment to decrease all substance misuse and addiction, reach out to the team at Playbl about our professional development courses for administrators.

Playbl is a mission-driven organization focused on improving adolescent behavioral health. As a partner to the play2PREVENT Lab, we leverage the power of evidence-based video games to improve health outcomes for youth aged 10-20. Game topics include smoking & vaping, opioid misuse, mental health, and sexual health.

Click here to learn more about our games and find out how to bring them to your organization.