In 2024, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school students in the United States, with 1.63 million students reporting usage, according to the CDC.

That national trend is reflected—and in some cases amplified—at the local level. “In Volusia County, we saw an 80% increase in youth vaping,” said Victoria Langello, Director of Prevention Services at SMA Healthcare. “And that trend holds across the region.”

It’s easy to assume your child would never vape—but new environments and social dynamics make experimentation more likely than many parents realize. “The transition from elementary into middle school opens up the whole world of first-time use,” said Monique Evelyn, Senior Director of Outpatient Services at SMA Healthcare. “Actually, that risk increases each transition—between elementary and middle, and then middle to high school.”

So how can you best protect your child?

According to Evelyn and Langello, the foundation for resisting risky behaviors like vaping isn’t built in high school or even middle school—it begins in elementary school, long before most kids have even heard the word vape.

Small Choices, Big Impact

“You don’t have to talk about drugs. You don’t have to talk about alcohol,” said Langello. “What we can talk about is knowing the absolute pinnacle of health for you.”

This means encouraging kids to think about what health looks like for them—not in terms of rules or restrictions, but in day-to-day decisions.

“Is it choosing an apple over chips? Is it going outside to play instead of watching another video? Is it saying no when a friend wants you to do something you know isn’t right?” said Langello. “Those are what we call ‘baby choices,’ and they build the foundation for bigger ones later.”

“When we teach kids to trust their own judgment early on, they’re more likely to carry that strength into adolescence,” Evelyn added.

What Parents Can Do—Even If Your Child Is Older

But what if your child is already in middle or high school? If you’re wondering whether it’s too late to start these conversations, the answer is simple: it’s not.

“No, it's never too late. Don't ever give that response,” said Langello. “You just have to approach it with curiosity. Ask them what they’ve seen, what they’ve heard. Be curious, not confrontational.”

Here’s how to begin:

  • Talk early and often, not just about vaping, but about any choice they’ll face.

  • Frame conversations around health and autonomy, not fear.

  • Validate their experiences—it’s okay for them to feel pressure. What matters is helping them respond with confidence.

  • Be a model, making healthy, mindful choices yourself.

By planting seeds of self-awareness and courage in our kids, we’re giving them something far more powerful than warnings: we’re giving them the tools to stand strong.

For free, online parenting resources and vaping prevention programming for youth, please contact Prevention@smahealthcare.org.