UAE: Children as young as 13 addicted to vaping; experts advice parents to be vigilant

UAE: Children as young as 13 addicted to vaping; experts advice parents to be vigilant

Mental health practitioners are advising parents to deal with their teen and pre-teen children in a calm and curious manner

Published: Fri 4 Aug 2023, 6:00 AM

During a routine clean-up of the house, S.M. was shocked to find several vapes in his 15-year-old son’s bag. The father of three soon realised that his son was vaping regularly. “I didn’t know how to react,” he said.

According to experts, modern influences have normalised vaping with several younger children taking it up. Naila Al Moosawi, the founder of Dubai-based Amal-Counseling for Better Tomorrow (CFBT), revealed that the youngest client they have treated for vaping addiction was just 13 years old.

“Unfortunately, the normalisation of vaping that has happened over time exposed many teenagers and young adults to the harmful practice,” she told Khaleej Times, adding: "With all the modern influence from social media and streaming services, vaping has become a problem.”

Dr Wafa Saoud, child and adolescent clinical psychologist at Sage Clinics said that they receive a lot of calls from parents. She said: “We have seen an increase in the number of enquiries from parents who want to support their teens to overcome their vaping habits and need guidance to navigate these circumstances."

“Moreover, we work