Dealing with Teenagers Vaping: Appropriate Punishment for Vaping

Vaping has been a trend for quite some time now, and it’s considered an escape for many teenagers since it’s like regular cigarettes. Vaping also includes a substance called nicotine that makes people feel pleasant emotions, which eventually distracts them from their problems for a little while.

Vaping Does Affect Your Kids’ Health

Vaping can be pretty detrimental to your teenage kids’ health. Experts have deemed E-cigarettes as addictive as the tobacco ones and considered them dangerous for the lungs and heart.

If you have a teenager who’s become quite obsessed with vaping, stop them now before it inflicts irreversible damage. And one of the best ways to do that is to discipline them head-on. Good news! In this article, we will help you find effective and appropriate punishments for vaping. Read on.

Part 1: The Importance of Appropriate Punishment for Vaping

Implementing a punishment for vaping can send a strong message to your teens that what they’re doing is risky for their overall health in the long run. However, how you do it matters critically.

You see, teens are in their adolescent period where they start to become more independent and understand things better. That’s why you must know what to do that is appropriate for teenagers so they’d be able to follow your rules. Because if you say or do the wrong things and hit the wrong chords, their vaping addiction might even become worse than expected.

The appropriate punishment for vaping below will make sure that you won’t go overboard when trying to discipline your teens.

Part 2: Find Out Why before Implementing Punishment for Vaping

Before you implement new rules and discipline your teens addicted to nicotine, it’s important that you know first why they’re doing it. That way, you can understand them better and find a suitable way to punish them without needing to alienate their ability to decide for themselves.

The most important thing that you should do is be open with them. You can start it by making them feel that their opinions and feelings matter in the household. Let them speak freely. Once you gain their trust, you can start asking them questions about what bothers them and why they use E-cigarettes.

You may also talk them out about visiting a professional to properly determine the root cause of the problem.

Part 3: Effective and Appropriate Punishments for Vaping

Some of the things below are not a punishment if you think about it, but in your teen’s point of view, they appear as a punishment but a little bit gentler.

Method 1: Don’t Force Them to Stop Vaping

Adolescents are known to be rebellious in nature. If you forcefully stop them from doing certain habits, they tend to become more stubborn and do it more. Worse, they’d yell at you and won’t take any words you say seriously.

To get through to them effectively, make sure that you always give them options and state facts about nicotine and vaping without the need of scaring them.

You may discuss with them real cases of people getting harem by vaping. You can show them pictures and videos about what happens to the lungs and heart after vaping for quite some time. And if you have a relative or friend that got lung cancer because of smoking and vaping, you may also take their story as an example.

You know, the scare tactics you used for toddlers and kids can no longer convince teenagers. And as much as possible, avoid including your strong dislike of vaping in the discussion so they won’t feel attacked.

By giving them the freedom to decide with the information you provided, they can reflect on whether or not they want to continue vaping.

Method 2: Check What They’re Doing Regularly

Checking your kids may not appear as a punishment, but it is enough to make them aware that you’re watching them. That way, you can prevent them from vaping as they get conscious all the time. However, don’t overdo it as you may unknowingly alienate your child, which can be harmful to your relationship at home.

Method 3: Restrict Online Shopping

If your teen buys the vape pods online through their Amazon account, etc., you may need to restrict their account. You may also put parental controls so you can monitor and decide which items they’re allowed to purchase.

In case your teenager was able to buy vape pods from a local store, ask him where it is and then call the authorities. The shop should be penalized for selling such an item to minors.

Method 4: Report Expenses

Another way to appropriately punish your teen is to have them report every single buck they spend. Each and every purchase should be listed in a notebook or a spreadsheet. This includes the name of the item, the amount, and the reasons for buying it.

Now, if by any chance your teenage child fails to comply with it, you may cut a certain amount of their allowance in the coming weeks or months. This can serve a pretty good lesson for your kid as they’d be much more conscious of what they’re buying. And of course, they’d have second thoughts about purchasing vape pods.

Method 5. Make Them Choose between Vaping and Their Favorite Things

Make your kid choose between two important things in their life. If they like the iPhone or PS5, they can have it, but they have to promise they won’t be vaping again. And if you catch them returning to their old ways, whatever you’ve given them will be taken away at once.

With this, it is important to set the rules with your kid before you hand them the item. Make it clear to them that you’re not playing around, that you are extremely serious about it.

Method 6: Give Them A False Hope

This can be a nifty trick that you can successfully make your teen stop vaping. To do this, let them know that they can try to convince you to allow them to continue vaping. You may also promise them that you will support them and buy them vaping pods if their argument is convincing enough.

But of course, you can’t just say that your teenage child did not convince you. You may need to study more about vaping so that you can debate with them in a healthy manner.

Method 7: Introduce Fun and Productive Alternatives to Vaping

As mentioned, most teens resort to vaping because they want to escape their problems, while others become addicted to it because they’re curious. So, the best intervention would be to introduce alternative activities that would certainly make use of their energy for vaping.

You can enroll your teens in a swimming or karate class or any sports in the locality. You may also help them develop a positive attitude toward reading literature and honing their other interests in life. And of course, this comes with supporting them. You have to check their progress and motivate them from time to time.

If you’re successful, your teenage kids won’t even notice that they’ve broken their addiction to vaping. Their time and energy for such an addiction are better spent in productive and healthy activities.

Final Thoughts

As your kids become teens, it’s important that you also let them experience a bit of freedom and privacy in things they want to do. But as long as they live under your roof, it is also your responsibility that they won’t get involved in any activities that may endanger their physical and mental health.

So, if your kids are being unruly about their use of vape, try out the appropriate punishment for vaping presented above. See if they work for your situation.