7 Activities to teach students about the dangers of smoking and vaping

Why teaching about smoking and vaping matters

The numbers back up what many educators already see in their hallways. According to the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey, roughly 1.63 million middle and high school students reported current e-cigarette use, and about one in four of those students vaped daily. E-cigarettes remain the most commonly used tobacco product among young people, and enticing flavored options continue to drive the appeal.

There is some good news, youth vaping rates are trending downward. Education is working. But with nicotine still posing serious risks to developing brains and the long-term effects of vaping still largely unknown, there’s no room to ease up. So how do we keep the momentum going in our classrooms?

The activities below are designed to fit across health, science, English Language Arts (ELA), and social studies classes. The activities are organized by approach — from quick, low-prep warm-ups to longer cross-curricular projects — so you can pick what works for you and your students.

7 classroom activities to build awareness and prevention skills

1) Sorting myths vs. facts

Misinformation is one of the biggest barriers to good decision-making, and students hear plenty of it from peers and social media. This activity gets them thinking critically about what they’ve been told.

• Prepare a set of statement cards (or a digital list) with facts and myths about smoking and vaping. Here are a few to get you started:
  • “Vaping is just water vapor, so it’s completely safe.” (Myth — vaping aerosols contain harmful chemicals including formaldehyde.)
  • “Nicotine is highly addictive, even in small amounts.” (Fact — nicotine affects the brain’s reward system and leads to addiction quickly, especially in teenagers.)
  • “Smoking only affects the lungs, not other parts of the body.” (Myth — smoking harms the heart, brain, blood vessels, and immune system.)
  • “It’s illegal for anyone under 21 to buy cigarettes or vaping products in the U.S.” (Fact — federal law raised the minimum purchase age to 21.)
  • “Flavored vapes are safer than regular ones because they don’t contain nicotine.” (Myth — many flavored e-cigarettes contain nicotine.)
  • “Once you start smoking or vaping, it’s easy to quit.” (Myth — nicotine addiction is extremely difficult to overcome.)
• Have students work individually or in pairs to sort each statement into “myth” or “fact.”
• Reveal the correct answers and discuss the reasoning behind each one. Where did students’ assumptions come from? Why are some myths so persistent?

Cross-curricular tie-in: In an ELA class, students can write a short persuasive paragraph debunking one myth using evidence from further independent research.

2) Lung health experiment

Sometimes the most powerful lesson is a visual one. This activity bridges health education and science by connecting smoking and vaping to the respiratory system.

• Begin with a short video on respiratory health. ClickView’s resources on the respiratory system are a great starting point for building background knowledge.
• Show students side-by-side images or models of healthy lungs compared to a smoker’s lungs. (Many science departments have physical models; if not, high-quality visuals are readily available online.)
• After the visual comparison, have students write a structured response that includes:
  • An introduction explaining the role of the lungs
  • Observations from the comparison
  • A discussion of causes (what chemicals in cigarettes and vapes cause this damage?) and consequences (what health conditions result?)
  • A conclusion with a personal reflection

Why it works: Teenagers often think in terms of “that won’t happen to me.” Seeing the physical damage makes the risks harder to dismiss.

3) Peer pressure role-play

Peer pressure is one of the strongest drivers of teen smoking and vaping. The ClickView video Saying No to Drugs and Peer Pressure explores this connection and gives students language and strategies they can actually use. But reading about refusal skills and practicing them are two very different things — and that’s where role-play comes in.

• Divide the class into small groups and assign each group one of the following scenarios:
  • “Just try it once” — A group of friends is at a party and one student offers a vape to another: “Come on, just take one hit. It’s not a big deal. Everyone’s doing it.”
  • “I thought you were cool” — After school, one student teases another for refusing: “Seriously? You won’t even try it? I thought you were cool.”
  • “Don’t be lame” — At a friend’s house, someone brings out cigarettes or a vape: “You’re the only one not doing it. Don’t be lame.”
  • “It’s not even bad for you” — A friend insists that vaping is harmless: “It’s just water vapor. It won’t hurt you.”
• Each group rehearses and performs the scenario twice: once showing the pressure succeeding, and once showing the target using a refusal strategy.
• Debrief as a class. What strategies felt natural? Which felt hardest to use? How does it feel to be on the receiving end of pressure?

Tip: Remind students that there’s no single “right” way to say no. Some students prefer humor, others prefer a direct statement, and some prefer simply walking away. All of those are valid.

4) Watch-and-respond video study

Video is one of the most engaging ways to deliver health information — and it invites a different kind of attention than a textbook reading. ClickView’s Smoking and Vaping topic page brings together several resources in one place, but two videos are especially well-suited for a structured viewing activity.

• Screen Cigarettes and Vapes (six minutes, rated TV-PG) or Vaping: More Dangerous Than You Think (21 minutes, rated TV-14) depending on your available class time and student age group.
• Before pressing play, give students a note-catcher sheet with prompts:
  • List three health risks mentioned in the video
  • Identify one fact that surprised you
  • Write down one question you still have after watching
• After the video, have students share responses in small groups, then open up to a whole-class discussion.
• For the longer video, consider pausing at key moments to check for understanding and invite real-time reactions.

Cross-curricular tie-in: In a science class, students can use their notes as a launching point for independent research on a specific chemical (for example, diacetyl, formaldehyde, or nicotine) and its effect on the body.

5) Know the law research project

Many students are genuinely surprised to learn the legal landscape around tobacco, vaping, and drugs. This activity turns that curiosity into a mini-research project and connects naturally to social studies or government classes.

• Start by screening The Law on Drugs from ClickView’s Drug Awareness series to build a baseline understanding.
• Assign students (individually or in pairs) one of the following areas to research:
  • Federal tobacco and vaping purchase age laws (and what the penalties look like for businesses that sell to minors)
  • Your state’s specific laws around marijuana, including any differences between medical and recreational use
  • School district policies on tobacco or vape possession on campus — and what the consequences are
• Students present their findings to the class as a brief verbal report or one-page summary.
• Close with a discussion: Do you think the current laws go far enough? What would you change or add?

Why it works: When students discover the rules for themselves, the information tends to stick far better than when they hear it elsewhere.

6) Debate: Should all drugs be legal and regulated?

This one requires some setup, but it’s the kind of activity students remember long after the unit ends. ClickView’s Should All Drugs Be Legal and Regulated? provides a balanced jumping-off point, and Can America’s War on Drugs Ever Be Won? adds valuable historical context.

• Screen one or both videos and have students take notes on arguments for and against regulation.
• Divide the class into two sides (or, for a more nuanced discussion, four groups representing different positions on a spectrum).
• Give teams 20-30 minutes to prepare their arguments, citing evidence from the videos, their research project (Activity 5), and any additional approved sources.
• Hold the debate using a structured format — timed opening statements, rebuttals, and closing arguments.
• After the debate, have each student write a short individual reflection: Did your opinion change? What was the strongest argument you heard from the other side?

Cross-curricular tie-in: This activity aligns well with ELA standards around argument writing, evidence-based reasoning, and public speaking. You might also pair it with ClickView’s videos on Pottawatomie v. Earls or New Jersey v. TLO to explore how constitutional rights intersect with drug policy in schools.

7) Create an anti-vaping campaign

This is the culmination project, where students move from consumers of information to creators of it. After spending time learning about health risks, peer pressure, and the law, they’re ready to put it all together.

• Show students examples of real government and nonprofit anti-smoking and anti-vaping campaigns. The video Drugs, Attitudes, and the Media is a great way to examine how media shapes attitudes around substance use and how campaigns use those same techniques to push back.
• Have students (individually or in small groups) plan and produce their own anti-vaping campaign. This could take the form of:
  • A short video or public service announcement (PSA)
  • A visual arts presentation for the school hallways
  • A social media campaign with sample posts and a hashtag
  • A podcast episode or recorded interview
• Each campaign should include at least three factual claims backed by evidence from the unit.
• Have students present their campaigns to the class or, better yet, share them with the broader school community (with appropriate permissions).

Why it works: Creating something for a real audience changes the stakes entirely. Students care more about accuracy, design, and persuasion when they know their work will be seen beyond the classroom walls.

Tips for weaving smoking and vaping education into everyday lessons

You don’t need a standalone health unit to keep these conversations going. Here are a few ways to integrate smoking and vaping awareness into your regular teaching:

• Make it a bell-ringer. Start class once a week with a quick myth-or-fact question related to substance use. It takes 60 seconds and keeps the topic top of mind.
• Connect it to current events. When vaping-related news stories surface, such as new regulations, product recalls, or health studies, bring them into your class discussions, regardless of the subject you teach.
• Use it as a writing prompt. In ELA, assign argumentative or informational writing tasks that draw on smoking and vaping content. Students get to practice their writing skills while reinforcing health knowledge.
• Build a resource wall. Dedicate a small bulletin board or digital space to peer-reviewed articles, infographics, and links to ClickView’s Smoking and Vaping topic page. Let students contribute resources they find on their own.
• Revisit peer pressure strategies throughout the year. Refusal skills aren’t just relevant to vaping. Reinforce them in discussions about academic integrity, social media, and other areas where teens face pressure.

Smoking and vaping are topics every student will encounter in many areas of life. The more practice they get thinking critically and making informed decisions in the safety of your classroom, the better prepared they’ll be when it counts.

Sources

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). E-Cigarette Use Among Youth. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/e-cigarettes/youth.html (Accessed: 4 March 2026).
2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2024). Results from the Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/youth-and-tobacco/results-annual-national-youth-tobacco-survey-nyts (Accessed: 4 March 2026).
3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (n.d.). Sound the Alarm: Youth Vaping Can Harm. Available at: https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/youth-vaping/index.html (Accessed: 4 March 2026).