7 signs to know if your teen is vaping

UPDATES ON WRAL.COM.

NOW, HERE'S LENA.

>> THANK YOU RENEE.

>>> THEY'RE MARKETED AS A SAFER

ALTERNATIVE THAN TOBACCO.

IT'S E-CIGARETTES, IT HEATS UP

AND GENERATES A VAPOR, AND

SOMETIMES THE VAPOR CONTAINS

NICOTINE.

AND THE FIRST MAJOR BRANDS WERE

BROUGHT TO THE US MARKET IN

2010.

IT'S A BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY.

ACCORDING TO YOUTH TOBACCO

SURVEY, TEEN SMOKING DROPPED BY

40% BETWEEN 2011 AND 2015, BUT

AT THE SAME TIME THE USE OF E-

CIGARETTES BY HIGH SCHOOL

STUDENTS INCREASED 888%.

17% OF HIGH SCHOOLERS REPORTED

USING E-CIGARETTES IN 2017 AND

MANY THOUGHT OF USING THEM IN

THE FUTURE.

WHAT DO PARENTS DO?

FOR OUR GO ASK EDITOR HAS

ADVICE FOR PARENTS WHO ARE

WORRIED ABOUT THIS GROWING

TREND.

IT'S ASTOUNDING.

>> IT'S CRAZY.

>> PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SMOKING

CIGARETTES FOR A LONG TIME,

WHY.

>> CIGARETTES NOW?

>> THEY'RE EASIER TO HIDE.

THEY'RE EASIER TO HIDE AND THEY

COME IN KID FRIENDLY FLAVORS,

COTTON CANDY AND KOOL-AID AND

THEY CAN STICK IN THEIR POCKET

AND THEY DON'T HAVE THE FUMES

THAT A REGULAR CIGARETTE DOES

AND THE VAPOR DISSIPATES

SOONER, AND KIDS ARE DOING THIS

IN SCHOOLS QUITE OFTEN.

>> AND I'M SURE TEACHERS ARE

SMELLING THAT FUME.

>> YES.

>> WHAT ARE THE TIPS FOR

PARENTS?

>> THE FIRST ONE IS TO KNOW THE

RISKS.

THIS ISN'T A HIGH SCHOOL ISSUE,

IT'S A MIDDLE SCHOOL ISSUE.

THAT'S WHEN IT BEGINS, 8TH

GRADERS WILL TRY IT GOES UP TO

14% FOR 10TH GRADERS AND 16%

FOR SENIORS, IT'S A GROWING

ISSUE AND IT STARTS EARLY.

A PARENT SHOULD KNOW GUYS ARE

TWO TIMES AS LIKELY TO TRY IT.

NOW, IS THE TIME TO HAVE

CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM.

>> THEY ALSO TALK ABOUT PARENTS

NEED TO FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES

WITH E-CIGARETTES, HOW CAN

PARENTS DO THAT, WHAT DOES THAT

MEAN EXACTLY?

>> THIS IS A FAST GROWING

MARKET AND INDUSTRY, AND THERE

ARE NEW DEVICES COMING OUT ALL

OF THE TIME.

AND SOME LOOK LIKE REGULAR

CIGARETTES AND THE FLASH

DRIVES.

AND PARENTS NEED TO UNDERSTAND

WHAT THEY NEED TO LOOK LIKE AND

WHAT THE BOTTLES LOOK LIKE, IF

YOU SEE THEM IN YOUR CHILD'S

BEDROOM, IF YOU SEE THEM ON

SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOUR CHILD'S

FRIENDS, YOU KNOW WHAT THEY

ARE, YOU CAN HAVE THIS

CONVERSATION.

I HAVE A LINK TO INFORMATION

AND PICTURES WITH SOME OF THESE

THINGS ON GO ASK MOM AND YOU

CAN SEE IF YOU RECOGNIZE

ANYTHING AND YOU CAN HAVE A

LOOK.

>> SOME PEOPLE THINK IT LOOKS

LIKE AND PEN, IT'S A PEN, IT

LOOKS LIKE THAT IN SOME CASES.

>> WE TALKED ABOUT THE FRUITY

SMELLS, AND COT TO CANDY, IT

MAY NOT BE CHEWING GUM.

>> IF YOUR KID SMELLS LIKE

COTTON CANDY ALL OF TIME AND

YOUR DAUGHTER SMELLS LIKE

STRAWBERRIES, IT'S NOT AIR

FRESHENER IN YOUR ROOM, YOU

NEED TO BE FAMILIAR WITH YOUR

KIDS' SURROUNDINGS AND YOU NEED

TO CHECK ON IT AND ASK THEM

QUESTIONS AND NOTICE THOSE

KINDS OF THINGS.

>> AND THEY SAID LOOK FOR AN

IRRITABLE BEHAVIOR, AND THAT'S

DIFFICULT WITH TEENS.

>> THAT COMES WITH THE

TERRITORY, RIGHT, AND IT CAN BE

A SIGN OF NICOTENE WITHDRAWAL,

AND THE VAST MAJORITY OF THESE

PRODUCTS HAVE NICOTENE, IF

THEY'RE BECOMING IRRITABLE AND

YOU SUSPECT IT AND YOU NOTICE

WEIRD SMELLS, THIS IS SOMETHING

TO TALK ABOUT.

>> THE CULMINATION OF ALL OF

THESE DIFFERENT SIGNS.

>> EXACTLY.

>> YOU HAVE ALL 7 ON GO ASK MOM

ON THE BLOG ON OUR WEBSITE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, SARAH, GO TO