Classroom Questions

Questions for ‘Teen vaping soars’

This is an ad for an e-liquid, sometimes called an e-cigarette “juice.” Teens can easily buy these flavored products on the Internet, new data show.

FROM THE COLLECTION OF STANFORD RESEARCH INTO THE IMPACT OF TOBACCO ADVERTISING (TOBACCO.STANFORD.EDU)

By Science News Explores

To accompany feature “Teen vaping soars past cigarette use” 

SCIENCE

Before Reading: 

1.         Teens are experimenting with vaping. Give three reasons that might be propelling this trend.

2.         Name three types of tobacco products that teens might try. List then in the order of popularity.

During Reading: 

1.     How many U.S. high school students used at least one tobacco product in 2015?

2.     What’s the addictive chemical in tobacco leaves?

3.     Since 2011, which are the only two tobacco products to have been increasing in use by U.S. teens?

4.     Based on this story, studies have linked vaping with harm to which parts of the body (name at least three)?

5.     How many U.S. states have banned the sale of vaping products to minors or made it illegal to give these products to underage youth?

6.     How many online stores sold vaping supplies to high school students in a new study by the University of California, Irvine?

7.     How many e-liquids sold to teens in this study had warning labels about nicotine risks?

8.     How many online stores contacted in the new study used special software to verify an online buyer’s age? And how successful was that software? Explain.

9.     What bonus goods did some companies pack along with the e-liquids sold to the teens in the new study? Name at least five.

10.  In a 2015 study by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, how often were teens able to successfully buy e-cigarettes over the Internet?

After Reading: 

1.   What measures could online stores take to ensure that no teen was able to buy e-cigarettes or other vaping supplies? Be specific. Brainstorm on how teens might try to avoid sharing their underage status — then come up with ways to counter each tactic. Be creative.

2.         What was the biggest — or most compelling — reason the story made for discouraging teens from vaping? Explain why you ranked it as being most important. Describe a campaign that could be launched in your school to inform kids about the downside to vaping. What statistics would you include? What images would you include?

MATH

1.    Look at the bar charts in the story and make seven statements about trends (changes over time) in them.