Parents, Educators and Community Leaders Urged to Safeguard Youth from Social Media and Vaping Risks

Parents, educators, and community leaders are urged to take a more active role in safeguarding young people from the harmful effects of excessive social media use and vaping.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, cautions that these emerging issues are fuelling serious health and social challenges among Jamaica’s youth, and has called for a coordinated community-level response.

Speaking during the Community Arranged Response Efforts (CARE) Fund sensitisation session at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre on June 24, the Minister emphasised that community organisations play a vital role in educating young people and their families about these risks.

“We’re doing a national survey… to examine the addictive nature of social media on children… who are experiencing mental health challenges… who are not learning as well, because they are hooked on their devices. They don’t even want to sleep at night, because they are on their phones. They’re seeing things that, rightfully, they shouldn’t be exposed to at this point in their development. It is a problem,” Dr. Tufton stated.

He suggested that community groups could spearhead campaigns to educate parents and young people on responsible technology use while promoting healthier habits.

The Minister also expressed concern over the growing popularity of vaping among school-aged children, cautioning that many devices are deliberately designed to evade detection.

“I have seen some very creative devices in the schools… vape tools looking like pencils and pens, because the marketing companies use their creativity to allow people to conceal these things,” he said.

Dr. Tufton noted that many people mistakenly view vaping as a safer alternative to traditional tobacco use.

“It’s not. We don’t know what’s inside of that vape. A lot of the fluid inside of those things are synthetic, man-made, and carcinogenic… cancer-causing… but they’re legal. They’re available and they can be concealed,” he pointed out.

The Minister urged community leaders, parents, and other responsible adults to actively discourage the use of vaping products and other nicotine-based substances among children and adolescents.

“Every single one of us who are responsible, who understand the impact of consumption and more modern devices of consuming nicotine, vaping being one of the more modern ones, should see themselves as having a duty in their group, in their families, in their communities to discourage its consumption… to discourage its usage,” Dr. Tufton underscored.

He further stressed that tackling these issues requires sustained grassroots advocacy and education to empower young people to make healthier choices.

The CARE Fund, a Ministry of Health and Wellness initiative, provides funding for community-based and civil society organisations to implement projects that promote healthier lifestyles, prevent disease, and address key public health priorities.