Abstract
Vaping is a concern in schools. School vape detectors could discourage vaping inside the school; however, there is no evidence of their effectiveness. This study investigated high school student and staff perceptions of vape detectors in a public school district in northwestern Ontario, Canada. Two school principals conducted interviews and students (n = 58) and staff (n = 73) in all area high schools (n = 5) completed online surveys. Open-ended questions assessed perceived challenges and benefits of vape detectors. Responses were coded and a thematic analysis identified major themes. Perceived benefits of vape detectors included helping identify students who vape at school, discouraging vaping at school, and improving restroom access. Perceived challenges included students evading detection and vaping moving to other locations at school. School staff and students within these schools identified various perceived benefits and challenges with vape detectors. Additional evidence is needed for the impacts of vape detectors on student vaping.
Introduction
Youth vaping is a prevalent issue in Canada, with 15% of students in grades 7–12 reporting vaping in the past 30 days (Health Canada, 2025). Vaping is concerning because youth can become addicted to nicotine and nicotine can negatively impact brain development (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014). In addition, vapes pose a potential health and safety issue to people who vape and the surrounding environment, with reports of vaping-related fires, explosions, and injuries in Canada and the USA (Fakeh Campbell et al., 2020; McFaull et al., 2020; McKenna Jr, 2017; Rossheim et al., 2019). Even though vaping is prohibited at schools across Canada and the USA, many students (Dai, 2021; Mantey et al., 2021) and staff (Cole et al., 2024; Fakeh Campbell et al., 2020; Health Canada, 2020) report seeing students vaping inside and around the school, particularly in the school washroom/restroom where detection can be challenging.
Vape detectors are a potentially useful tool to help schools identify students who are violating school policies and local laws. Vape detectors are similar in shape and size to a smoke detector and use sensors to detect aerosol from vapes or cigarettes in enclosed spaces where it may not be appropriate to have a video camera, such as in the school restroom. Devices can range from $150 to $3000 each and may require installation and ongoing software subscriptions. When the device detects aerosol, it sends a notification alert to a designated staff member who can then investigate the incident. As a policy enforcement tool, vape detectors may help to reduce the prevalence of youth vaping overall and specifically at school. While vape detectors have received media attention and have been purchased and installed in schools across Canada and the USA (Asmelash, 2019; Collins, 2019; Truth Initiative, 2019), to our knowledge there is no published evidence of school staff and student perceptions of vape detectors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify school staff and student perceptions of vape detectors in a public school district in northwestern Ontario, Canada.
Methods
Study Design and Setting
This study used online surveys to identify perceptions of vape detectors among students and staff at five high schools in a small, rural public school district in northwestern Ontario, Canada. All five high schools in the district were invited and agreed to participate in the study. In one of the schools, vape detectors had been installed in all of the gender-neutral restroom stalls in 2019, but there were other gender-segregated restrooms that did not have vape detectors installed. In the other school, vape detectors were installed in the gender-neutral restrooms that opened in early 2024, after data collection was complete. In this school, there were no gender-segregated restrooms available for students to use. In both schools, the vape detectors produced a loud audible alarm when aerosol was detected, which then had to be manually turned off. The other three schools did not have vape detectors installed.
Institutional Review Board Approval
This study received ethical approval on September 24, 2023 from the Research Ethics Board at Ontario Tech University (File #17482) and was reviewed by the school district. Informed consent and assent were obtained from all participants.
Procedures, Population, and Sample
All school staff within the schools were invited by email to complete a short online survey between November 2023 and April 2024. The email invitation included a link to an information letter that provided details about the study. The survey was available for a two-week period, with three reminders sent. School staff could enter a drawing for a $20 digital gift card at the end of the survey as a token of appreciation for their time (eight gift cards provided). The estimated number of eligible staff across the five schools was 166, and 73 staff completed the survey (response rate: 44.0%).
All students in grades 9–12 within the schools were invited to complete a short online survey during class time between November 2023 and March 2024. Active consent procedures were used to recruit students. Parents/guardians were given two weeks to complete the consent form, with three reminders provided. All students could decline to participate or withdraw from the study prior to completing the survey. Students could enter a drawing for a $20 digital gift card at the end of the survey as a token of appreciation for their time (nine gift cards provided). The estimated number of eligible students across the five schools was 684; 85 completed consent forms and 81 had parental permission to complete the survey (permission rate: 11.8%), and 58 students completed the survey (71.6% of those with permission, overall response rate: 8.5%).
The online surveys for staff and students included similar questions to facilitate comparisons between groups. Both surveys included demographic questions, questions assessing knowledge of vape detectors in the school, and two open-ended questions that asked staff and students to identify challenges and benefits of having vape detectors in their school. Staff and students at schools with vape detectors were asked “What were some of the challenges of having vape detectors installed at your school?” and “What were some of the benefits of having vape detectors installed at your school?.” Staff and students at schools without vape detectors were asked “What would be some of the challenges of having vape detectors installed at your school?” and “What would be some of the benefits of having vape detectors installed at your school?.”
In addition to online survey responses, the authors conducted semi-structured virtual interviews (<60 min) with the school principals at the two schools with vape detectors, using Google Meet. Both interviews were recorded with consent. The interview guide included questions about the school context and students, the process that occurs when an alert takes place, and questions about the challenges and benefits of having vape detectors in their school.
Analysis
The demographic characteristics of school staff and students were reported to provide contextual information about the participants. Open-ended responses to questions about challenges and benefits of vape detectors were coded, and a thematic analysis identified major themes (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The thematic analysis was conducted by one of the authors and reviewed by the other author. Dedoose software was used to support data management and create matrices highlighting similarities and differences across groups (SocioCultural Research Consultants, LLC, 2025). Following transcription and auditing of the interview recordings, interview transcripts were reviewed and relevant quotations were added to themes identified from school staff open-ended responses. In most cases, similar themes were identified across schools with and without vape detectors.
Results
Demographic characteristics of school staff and students are presented in Table 1. There were no significant differences in the demographic characteristics of students in schools with and without vape detectors.
Demographic Characteristics of Participating School Staff and Students.
Perceived Benefits of Vape Detectors
One benefit of vape detectors identified by staff and students was helping to identify students who vape at school, especially in locations that are difficult to monitor. As one teacher/instructional aide at a school without vape detectors explained, vape detectors would “make it easier to identify that students are vaping in areas that teachers/administrators cannot enter on a normal basis due to privacy (bathrooms/changerooms).” A principal at a school with vape detectors also explained that it can make it easier to identify students who are vaping in the bathroom because it is an immediate notification and they can respond sooner; they “don’t have to watch video to figure out when the last time someone was in the bathroom.” A student at a school with vape detectors indicated that “it [the vape detector] helped catch a few people” [Grade 10 student]. School staff and students also thought that vape detectors would discourage vaping at school. For example, a teacher/instructional aide at a school without vape detectors wrote that “it may discourage some from vaping” and another school staff at a school with vape detectors noted that it “may act as a deterrent to some students.” One of the principals at a school with vape detectors explained how vape detectors could deter particular students from vaping: “it is a bit of a deterrent to those kids that are kind of ‘Well, I don’t want to get in trouble.’ They’re gonna think about it. The kids who are seriously addicted or who don’t care, then it's not going to be a deterrent for them.” By deterring students from vaping, several students thought that vaping would be reduced. As one student at a school without vape detectors explained, “maybe people wouldn’t find other places and it would stop it [vaping] from happening in the school” [Grade 9 student]. A student at a school with vape detectors stated that “people stopped vaping in the bathrooms” [Grade 10 student].
As a result of identifying students vaping in school and discouraging vaping, many school staff and students thought that vape detectors would improve restroom access. One staff member at a school without vape detectors explained that “some kids don’t like to use the washroom because there are group of other kids in there vaping and it is uncomfortable to go to the washroom with all of them there” [School Support/Office Staff]. This benefit of vape detectors was reinforced by a student at a school without vape detectors who wrote “I will feel way more safe going into the bathrooms. I will actually use the bathroom at school since I don’t right now because of the crowds of girls in the bathroom that skip class” [Grade 9 student]. A student at a school with vape detectors also noted that “some of the bathrooms are more comfortable to use” [Grade 9 student]. The importance of school safety was emphasized by one of the principals at a school with vape detectors who stated that “it signals, literally signals, to non-vaping students that this is something that we’re not putting up with. We do want the washrooms to be safe, accessible places for all students where you don’t have to deal with those things.” With better restroom access, a few students at schools without vape detectors mentioned how their school would be a safer place. One student wrote: “Make inside the school a safer place, and when I try to go to the bathroom nobody will be in there vaping making it unsafe” [Grade 9 student].
Perceived Challenges of Vape Detectors
Many school staff thought that one challenge of vape detectors would be identifying student vaping because students tend to congregate in the restroom together. As one staff member at a school without vape detectors described, “[another] admin was getting constant notifications of vape detection, and it was still really difficult to do anything about it because it could have been anyone who was in the washroom at the time. It is rare to only have 1 student in the washroom. They’re usually hanging out in there and vaping together” [School Support/Office Staff]. One of the principals at the school with vape detectors also highlighted the challenge of identifying who is vaping in the restroom when the vape detectors go off: “one [student] could be in the stall and potentially set the detector off in the other stall or vice versa. And unless somebody is there or the camera catches one or two people scurrying out during the alarm going off, it's not, it's not a great system… It's just making that conclusive finding that it was student A and B who are doing it. That's the challenge.” In addition to challenges identifying who was vaping, school staff and students thought it would be difficult to identify students because they would find ways around the detectors. One staff member at a school with vape detectors explained that “students have found ways to vape in the school washrooms without setting off the vape alarms - by covering the automatic flush sensor and exhaling into the toilet bowls” [Other school staff]. A student at a school with vape detectors also mentioned this method of evading vape detectors by “having to blow the smoke down” the toilet [Grade 9 student]. School staff and students also thought that vape detectors would move vaping to other locations within or outside the school. One school staff member at a school with vape detectors stated, “students also know where the vape detectors are located and will choose other locations.” A student at a school with vape detectors also indicated that “if students know where they [vape detectors] are they will vape in a different area of the school” [Grade 11 student]. Similarly, students at schools without vape detectors thought that “kids finding other rooms to do it [vape] in” [Grade 9 student] and “they would leave the school to vape” [Grade 10 student].
In the schools without vape detectors, some school staff and students thought a challenge with vape detectors would be negative student and parent attitudes. One staff member explained how “students will act as though their privacy is being invaded. A vape detector will tell us that someone is vaping, but … parents will still say it was not their child” [Teacher or Instructional Aide]. Students wrote that other students would be upset if vape detectors were installed, although this was thought to be temporary: “everyone would complain about it but it should dial down after a while” [Grade 11 student]. In contrast, the principals at the schools with vape detectors explained that school community attitudes about installing vape detectors have generally been quite positive. As one principal explained, “those who don’t vape are appreciative that we have an effort, you know, undertaken to do something about the vaping. And even those who do vape have said that they appreciate that we’re drawing a line.” Negative student and parent attitudes were not expressed by staff or students at the schools with vape detectors.
Finally, in the schools without vape detectors, some school staff and students thought that students would tamper with the devices. One staff member noted that an issue with vape detectors would be “graffiti, damage by students” [Other school staff member]. Another staff member stated that “students might break them [the vape detectors]” [Teacher/Instructional Aide]. Similarly, students at the schools without vape detectors thought that “die-hard vapers would try to damage them [vape detectors] because they have damaged and ruined other things in the spaces within the school” [Grade 12 student] and that “they’re [the vape detectors are] going to get ripped out” [Grade 11 student]. In contrast, the principals at the schools with vape detectors noted that they have not witnessed any damage to the vape detectors at the schools and this challenge was not identified by staff or students at the schools with vape detectors.
Discussion
To our knowledge, these are the first published data reporting staff and student perceptions of vape detectors. While staff and students thought there would be benefits to having vape detectors, they also identified potential challenges. Vape detectors alone may not be sufficient to deter student vaping. Comprehensive approaches that incorporate evidence-informed prevention and cessation programs as well as strong and consistently enforced school policies may be more effective.
Both staff and students thought that vape detectors may help to discourage students from vaping at school. Notably, school staff and students thought that having vape detectors in some restrooms was beneficial because it improved student safety and made the restrooms more comfortable and accessible for students that do not vape. News stories have reported that many students feel uncomfortable using the restrooms at school because of students gathering to vape (Pringle, 2025; Swadden, 2022). Vape detectors may demonstrate to the school community that the school takes student vaping and student safety seriously. Additional evaluation studies are urgently needed to identify whether vape detectors are an effective deterrent for vaping in school restrooms.
One challenge identified by school staff was identifying who was vaping in the restroom. Discrete devices, aerosol that quickly disappears, and students congregating in the restrooms in groups can make it difficult for school staff to identify who is vaping in order to enforce school policies and discipline students (Cole et al., 2024). News reports have also cited false alarms that result from other aerosolized spray products used in the restroom (Barlow, 2025; Neuman, 2024). There are also reports of students finding creative ways to covertly vape (or “stealth vape”) inside the school (Ramamurthi et al., 2019). In the current study, reports of students exhaling the aerosol into the toilet bowl may reduce the effectiveness of vape detectors as a deterrent, and additional research is needed to understand the various methods students may use to avoid detection in order to develop appropriate interventions.
Interestingly, school staff and students at the schools without vape detectors thought that negative student and parent attitudes and students tampering with the devices would be challenges with installing vape detectors; however, these challenges were not cited by school staff or students at the school with vape detectors. Given the high cost of purchasing vape detectors, additional evidence is warranted to understand attitudes towards vape detectors among various school community members (e.g., staff, students, parents) and investigate whether damage to devices is highly prevalent.
Strengths and Limitations
A strength of this study was the inclusion of data from both school staff and students in order to gain diverse perspectives of vape detectors. Furthermore, we included schools with and without vape detectors in order to compare perceptions of vape detectors across schools. This study focused on one small, rural school district in northwestern Ontario, and the results may not be generalizable to other schools with vape detectors. This study focused on qualitative perceptions of school staff and students, and additional mixed-methods evaluation studies are urgently needed. While the response rate for school staff was similar to other studies of educators (Cole et al., 2024; Rozema et al., 2018; The GTSS Collaborative Group, 2006), the student response rate was low and may have biased the results. The results may not reflect all student and staff perceptions of benefits and challenges of vape detectors. However, there were no significant differences in the demographic characteristics of school staff or students between schools with and without vape detectors, and participating students included those who did and did not vape.
Implications for School Nursing Practice
Vaping continues to be a prevalent issue in schools, and school nurses have an important role in implementing and supporting multi-component, evidence-informed strategies to address student vaping. There is a paucity of evidence for the impact of school vape detectors on student vaping, and school nurses can lead and support evaluation efforts in schools that have installed vape detectors. Furthermore, school nurses often have training to deliver and support evidence-informed school-based vaping prevention and cessation programs. School nurses should recommend these programs be implemented alongside policy enforcement approaches (such as installing vape detectors) in order to increase student knowledge of the negative health effects of vaping and reduce vaping (Liu et al., 2020; Mylocopos et al., 2023).
Conclusions
School staff and students in a small, rural school board identified various perceived benefits of vape detectors, including helping identify students who vape at school, discouraging vaping at school, and improving restroom access. Perceived challenges of vape detectors included students evading detection and vaping moving to other locations at school. Additional evidence is needed to identify the possible positive and negative impacts of vape detectors on student vaping behaviors.
Footnotes
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the schools, teachers, and students who were willing to share their thoughts and opinions.
Author Contribution(s)
Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.