Is Your Teen Vaping? Watch For These Ten Signs

Published: 9 March 2023
Categories: Blog

Even though vaping has been shown time and again to present almost none of the health hazards of smoking it’s still not something kids should be doing. Why? First, because it’s illegal in Colorado for minors to vape, but also because kids should be focused on being kids. Here in our vape shop in Parker, we occasionally get people under age 21 in our store trying to buy vaporizers and we promptly turn them away. But how do you know if your minor child is vaping? In this post, we’ll cover some telltale signs to look for.

Smoking Buddha Vape Shop Presents: Signs Your Child May be Vaping

Because vaping does not create smoke or ashtrays full of cigarette butts, or the signature stale odor that permeates everything in a smoker’s house it can be difficult to know if your kid is vaping. Difficult, but not impossible. Below, the team at our smoke shop have brought together 10 telltale signs to look for that indicate your child may be vaping.

  • An unfamiliar smell: In some cases, people vape dry cannabis. And while vaping cannabis does not create as much of that one-of-a-kind weed odor, it does produce some. If your kid is vaping herb it should be pretty easy to tell. But most kids aren’t vaping herb. They’re vaping flavored e-liquids. So keep your nose attune to any fruity, sweet or minty odor in the house.
  • A charger: Many vaporizers need to be charged. So keep your eyes open for an unfamiliar charger. A vape charger will often have a strange-looking attachment on the end. That’s where the vaporizer itself is attached. It’s usually round or box-shaped and doesn’t look anything like a phone charger. You can also do an internet search using the name on the charger. That will often reveal what it’s used for.
  • They’re suddenly low on cash all the time: Most parents in Parker give their kids spending money, and in most cases, it’s enough to fulfill their needs. But if your child is suddenly asking for money more often, or you suspect they are taking money out of your purse or wallet when you’re not looking, it may indicate they’re spending the money you give them on e-juices and other vaping peripherals.
  • You see a USB drive in the trash: A lot of vapes are disposable, and like everyone else, kids aren’t always careful about where they toss their trash. If you suspect your child of vaping, keep an eye on the trash. If you see something that resembles a USB drive in the garbage, take a closer look at it. It could be what’s called a “juul pod”. A juul pod is an e-juice container and a sure sign of vaping.
  • Your child seems thirsty all the time: Vapers sometimes experience cotton mouth. It’s a fairly regular side effect of frequent vaping and it usually prompts the vaper to drink more water and other beverages than they normally would. In this case, the dry mouth is caused by propylene glycol in the e-liquids they’re vaping which is known to restrict water absorption in the body.
  • Keep your eyes open for nosebleeds: In the 1980s a nosebleed often indicated a person was snorting a lot of cocaine. These days it may indicate that, or it might indicate that your child is vaping. That’s because the propylene glycol we just mentioned also has a habit of drying out the moist tissue inside the nasal cavity and prompting nosebleeds.
  • Your child suddenly becomes defensive: Even young kids know the difference between right and wrong. They also know what their parents will accept and what they won’t. Knowing you’ll be upset if you discover they’re vaping could stress them out and lead to shifts in their personality. They might suddenly ask for a lock on their bedroom door or they may become less communicative or they might respond defensively when you ask even routine questions.
  • More trash picking: We hate to keep bringing up the trash but the fact is vaping produces waste. And it’s typically a unique kind of waste. For instance, one component of a vaporizer is the “atomizer”. The atomizer is that part of the device that turns e-liquid into vapor. Atomizers don’t last forever. At some point, they’ll need to be replaced. We know. We sell lots of replacement atomizers at our vape shop here in Parker. Different atomizers look different. But most are cylindrical in shape and have a mechanical look to them.
  • Cotton balls: You could look in the trash for discarded cotton balls, but you may not have to. If you see a bag of cotton balls in your child’s room (a child that never had need of cotton balls before), it could indicate they’ve taken up vaping. Why? Cotton balls are sometimes used as wicks in vaping devices. When they’re used up they’re discarded.
  • A change of tastes: If your son or daughter used to be a fan of energy drinks or lattes and they suddenly give them up it may be a sign they’ve taken up vaping. The reason is because people who vape a lot sometimes develop a sensitivity to caffeine that makes consuming it an unpleasant experience.

A Few Last Words From Our Vape Shop Team

No responsible vape shop owner will sell vaping equipment to minor children. But somehow kids get a hold of it anyway. Use the above list of tips to help you determine if your kid is vaping.