Support your teen
with facts, not fear.
Today's tobacco and nicotine products look different than they used to. This page gives you the information to stay ahead of them — and the tools to talk about it.
Tobacco and nicotine have changed.
The tobacco landscape your teen navigates includes products that are designed to be discreet, flavored, and easy to start. Many of them don't look anything like what you'd recognize as tobacco — which is part of what makes them difficult to identify and discuss.
The hidden 3.
Three categories of products that are easy to miss — and that your teen's UP2U program covers directly.
-
Pouches
Small, smokeless nicotine pouches placed under the lip. No smoke, no vapor, no smell — and no visible sign of use. They can be used in class, at practice, or at home with no indication.
-
Disposable vapes
Compact, colorful devices that often resemble USB drives or highlighters. Some hold enough liquid for thousands of puffs and come in fruit and candy flavors designed to appeal to new users.
-
Flavored cigars and cigarillos
Marketed with appealing flavors and often sold individually for under a dollar. Frequently overlooked as a tobacco product because they don't fit the traditional cigarette image.
Your teen's UP2U program addresses all three product categories.
When your teen says it helps with stress.
This is one of the most common things teens say about vaping — and one of the most misunderstood. Here is what is actually happening:
"Nicotine withdrawal feels like stress. A hit temporarily relieves the withdrawal that nicotine itself created. The product is both the cause and the short-term fix."
If your teen mentions stress as a reason to use, that is an opening — not a wall. Ask about their actual stressors. UP2U gives students language for this conversation, and this page gives you the same framework to use at home.
How to talk with your teen.
-
Lead with curiosity, not accusation
Ask what they know about the products they see, not whether they are using. Curiosity keeps the door open; accusations close it.
-
Use the social norms
About 85% of high school students are not using tobacco or nicotine products (NYTS, 2024). That number is a useful, non-judgmental starting point that doesn't require you to preach.
-
Talk about the industry, not their choices
"Did you know companies design these products specifically to appeal to teenagers?" shifts the blame to the industry — and invites your teen to be the skeptic, not the subject.
-
Keep the door open
Teens are more likely to talk when they don't expect a lecture. Keep your responses short and conversations ongoing rather than turning each moment into a sit-down discussion.
What students learn in UP2U.
-
UP2UTeacher (45 min)
- Social norms and the real data on peer use
- How industry marketing is designed for teens
- The Vape-Stress Cycle — cause vs. effect
- Health effects on the mouth, brain, and body
- Self-direction and informed choice
-
UP2UDigital (10 weeks)
- 3 posts per week on the classroom smartboard
- Health harms across all product types
- Industry marketing tactics and how to spot them
- Stress management and coping alternatives
- Displayed during class on the smartboard — no devices needed
Frequently asked.
- Is UP2U a treatment program?
- No. UP2U is a universal prevention program delivered to all students in the class — not only those identified as users. It is not a counseling or treatment program.
- Does my child need a device or account to participate?
- No. The digital reinforcement component is displayed on the classroom smartboard during the attendance transition at the start of class. Students do not need personal devices, apps, or logins.
- Is the assessment anonymous?
- Yes. Pre- and post-assessments use subject-generated identification codes. No student is identified by name in any data collected for the research study.
- Can my child opt out?
- Yes. Participation in the research assessment is voluntary. Contact the research team at UP2U@virginia.edu for more information. Implementation of the classroom session is a school-level decision.
- What products does UP2U cover?
- The program covers e-cigarettes, combustible products (cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos), nicotine pouches, and other tobacco and nicotine products (TNPs).
- Has UP2U been proven to work?
- UP2U completed a pilot study with 520 9th grade students and is currently being evaluated in a full-scale Randomized Clinical Trial. Pilot findings show early promise, but long-term outcomes are pending the results of the ongoing RCT.
Want to learn more?
Read the research behind UP2U or reach out to the team with questions about the program.