TSET focuses on social aspects of vaping among teenagers

New educational messages launching later this month aim to show teens the dangers of sharing nicotine and the harms of the addiction that follows. The messages are a part of Behind the Haze, a campaign to educate teens about the dangers of vaping.

Behind the Haze is a campaign of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) and a part of the TSET Healthy Youth Initiative.

Research shows many Oklahoma teens first try vapes for social reasons, and sharing vapes between friends is very common. The new messages, called “Sharing Addiction,” communicate how vaping nicotine causes physiological changes in people and asks teens to consider whether they are willing to be the reason their friends are at risk.

Starting Feb. 13, “Sharing Addiction” will air statewide on TV, cable and radio stations that feature family programming. The goal is to prompt conversation within families about the dangers of vaping and tobacco use and support kids in making healthy lifestyle choices. Oklahoma teens can also interact with the campaign online through digital and social media popular with teens, including Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and YouTube.

You can view “Sharing Addiction” and other youth tobacco prevention messages by visiting the TSET Healthy Youth Initiative website: TSETHealthyYouth. com.

Teens struggling with vape use and nicotine addiction can sign up for free quit help through My Life, My Quit. Funded by TSET, My Life, My Quit provides Oklahoma teens ages 13-17 with FREE text or web-based coaching to help quit vaping for good. Teens can text “Start My Quit” to 36072 for real-time coaching or visit MyLifeMy-Quit.com to learn more about the program and enroll online.

Educators and health care providers interested in receiving free materials supporting healthy youth, including My Life, My Quit flyers and posters, can visit TSETHealthyYouth.com/order.