Dangerous e-cigarettes and weapons on the net: Coesfeld parents alerted!

Dangerous e-cigarettes and weapons on the net: Coesfeld parents alerted!

In the Coesfeld district, parents are alarmed by dangerous offers from Vapes and weapons that are spread through the popular Messenger service Snapchat. This knowledge was recently confirmed by the discovery of a mother who found several offers on the smartphones of her daughters. Among them were disposable E-cigarettes as well as weapons such as knives and electric shock devices that were offered under profiles such as "Nottuln Kiosk" and "Kiosknottuln Backup". These worrying finds led the mother to inform the police who immediately informed all headmaster in the Baumberge region about the situation. Although the topic is not new, it turns out that the number of such incidents increases, which gives rise to worry. According to wdr , e-cigarettes are particularly popular with young people, and it is increasingly being observed that the entry age continuously drops.

Caroline Prange from Caritas emphasizes the urgency of the enlightenment about the dangers of e-cigarettes. It offers prevention workshops that should encourage parents to search for talking to their children about potential risks and actively pursue their activities on social media.

new prevention approaches

The demand for further prevention offers in the area of e-cigarettes is high. As part of the NRW initiative "Life without SMAM", a workshop concept was developed, which can be used in North Rhine-Westphalia for grades 6 to 8 from January 2024. Mina Schellschläger, the coordinator of "Life Without Qualm", emphasizes the positive response from the young people in the previous workshops. These showed lively participation, good exchange opportunities and many questions. [addiction cooperation nrw]

The concept stipulates that materials are made available in handy pockets. In January 2024, prevention specialists in North Rhine -Westphalia received these materials after method training. These specialists can then train multipliers such as teachers and specialists in school social work who can carry out the “Vape Check” at their schools.

need for action and communication

The latest developments in the Coesfeld district illustrate how important it is that parents and schools work closely together to educate young people about the risks of vapes and other risky behaviors. The exchange via social media should also be a central component of this information. Parents who need more information can contact Mina Schellschläger. It can be reached on the phone number 0208 30069-32 or by email: m.schellschlaeger@ginko-stiftung.de .