Edinburgh researchers contribute to study on vaping in Scottish schools

New research led by the University of Stirling and the Scottish Centre for Social Research, with contributions from researchers in the School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh, has found that increasing use of vapes and nicotine pouches among teenagers is having a significant impact on schools across Scotland.

This news story was originally published on the University of Stirling website: view original article

The study found that pupils’ use of vapes, is affecting attendance, behaviour, and the wider school environment. Pupils reported leaving lessons and missing classes to vape or use nicotine pouches, contributing to truancy and disruption, and some described adverse health effects.

Staff said some young people are showing signs of nicotine addiction, and teachers are spending considerable time and resources responding to the issue, including patrolling school grounds and toilets, and engaging with local retailers.

The study involved focus groups and interviews with 77 pupils aged 14 to 16, and 13 members of school staff, across four secondary schools in Scotland’s central belt.

Pupils reported widespread use of NNPs, such as vapes and nicotine pouches, and missed classes and played truant because they were using these products in a variety of places, including school toilets, and outside school grounds. A few pupils felt they were addicted to nicotine and reported adverse health effects.
School staff adopted a range of approaches to address the issue, including regular patrols and sweeps of school areas, monitoring toilet facilities, and visiting neighbourhood shops to encourage more robust retail practices. They are also confiscating vapes and issuing exclusions or detentions for their use.
However, staff said they have limited knowledge of vapes and nicotine pouches and felt less confident addressing the risks, compared with tobacco-related teaching. They called for more resources to support teaching about the risks of nicotine use among young people.

One teacher told researchers: “I’ve got a…pupil who vapes every 20 minutes. Every 20 minutes. [They are] up ‘till four in the morning…[and] really struggling to get to classes.”

Another said: “There’s a couple, or maybe more than a couple, in here that are totally addicted to it…and they’ll tell you, they’re very upfront about it. So that is having an impact on behaviour, because it’s like if they don’t get out of class they’re getting more and more agitated.”

One pupil admitted they are taking steps to avoid being “caught” vaping: “I’ve been caught about five times…so you just need to realise what to do and what not to do.”

School staff are spending a considerable amount of time trying to address vaping. Pupils are experiencing negative health effects and missing classes, while those who do not vape can find the atmosphere in school toilets intimidating. Staff also thought that tobacco use among pupils was no longer occurring, whereas pupils said that it was still an issue, although less common than vaping.
Teaching resources covering vaping and nicotine pouch use and risks would support those delivering Personal and Social Education. Addressing the issue would allow staff and pupils to engage more fully in learning and focus on other priorities.

One of the paper’s co-authors, Professor Jamie Pearce, Personal Chair in Health Geography, University of Edinburgh, said the UK Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, which was granted Royal Assent on 29 April, could help address the issue.

The Tobacco and Vapes Act will impact the marketing and regulation of NNPs, including introducing age restrictions to prevent under-18s from purchasing nicotine products, banning free distribution, and enabling regulation of flavours, packaging, and display.
A wider societal approach is needed to address the use and impact of vapes and other nicotine products among young people. Restrictions on availability, accessibility, marketing, price, and flavourings are likely to be required and should be implemented as quickly as possible.

This study is part the wider project New Nicotine Products in Scotland study led by Dr Allison Ford and funded by The Chief Scientist Office, which examines the retail availability, display and marketing of NNPs in four communities in Scotland.

A previous study published by the team last year found that young people in Scotland are experimenting with nicotine pouches and reporting adverse effects such as sickness and fainting.

Related papers

MacGregor A, Hamid A, Shields J, et al‘ I’ve got a pupil who vapes every 20 minutes’: exploration of the wider impact on schools of young people’s use of new nicotine products in the UKBMJ Open 2026;16:e115484. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-115484

MacGregor A, Shields J, Hamid A, Holman E, Biggs H, Minty S, et al. ‘I'd rather have worse gums than worse lungs’: Young people's views of nicotine pouches in the UK. Addiction. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70214

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