Nicotine, especially from vapes, significantly affects teens today. In 2023, one in three high school students in Wisconsin reported using tobacco or nicotine products (YRBS, 2023). This epidemic impacts our friendships, mental health, school performance, sports, and family life. We need to empower students across Wisconsin to share their experiences with vaping and nicotine.
Youth are trying vapes and tobacco products daily, leading to addiction. This interferes with focus in class, health risks, and environmental harm affects all students, even those who don’t use these products. In our Unfiltered Voices project, we collected stories revealing fears of using school bathrooms due to vaping, trust issues among friends, and peer pressure. Many, including myself, have friends struggling with asthma or other health problems due to nicotine.
At Lincoln High School, we are actively working to address the vaping issue and help students understand the dangers of nicotine. I personally know someone who, after quitting vaping, can run better and breathe more easily. This issue is real, and we want our voices to be heard.
You can get involved by sharing your story and joining FACT, a youth-driven movement dedicated to making a difference. As a FACT member, I aim to educate our community about the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine. Visit FACTmovement.org to learn more about our initiatives across the state.
Isabelle Kardash
Lincoln High School
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here